|
|
| Dr. John Harbo, Dr. Jeff Harisson and Dr. RWK. Punchihewa (right to left) at the lab sign of the Baton Rouge USDA Bee Lab. The following is a photo-assay showing how to prepare bees for an experiment. I think that different queens were being evaluated for their ability to suppress mite reproduction. To do so one must start with many colonies as similar as possible (mite levels, number of bees, genetic makeup of bees etc) and the only variable would be the queen genetics. May 19, 1999. Viewed: 1414 times. |
|
|
|
| A large screen cage is used to hold tens of thousands of bees. The bees were shaken the day before from many colonies. The colonies were untreated for mites so the bees from this pool have many mites. May 18, 1999. Viewed: 1406 times. |
|
|
|
| The large cage is opened. There are a few frames there to keep the bees happy. If I remembered correctly a few queen cages on different places to keep the bees in. Viewed: 1585 times. |
|
|
|
| Bees were then scooped into a plastic cup from many different places inside the large cage, to provide bees as homogeneous as possible. These bees were then put into wooden cages, each with a number. Viewed: 1402 times. |
|
|
|
| Bees are dumped into the wooden caged through a big metal funnel. The cages all have sliding doors that can be shut off to keep the bees inside.
These cages are then each weighed, the data entered into a computer. Then the weight is sorted out. Each experimental hive then received two cages, the lightest combined with the heaviest, then the next pair... This way, each colony will end up with very similar number of bees. A subsample of bees are taken to count the mite/bee ratio, so the number of mites can be calculated.Viewed: 1425 times. |
|
|
|
| Cages are transported in a truck to the experimental apiary. Viewed: 1352 times. |
|
|
|
| At the apiary, the two cages are open to release the bees. There are three frames in each hive body. A caged queen is also provided. Essentially the experimental colonies are similar to new colonies started from package bees, but each colony now has similar mite levels, genetic make up and age etc. Viewed: 1500 times. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Album: Bee research 
1 
