The process of Italian bees lifting royal jelly is a meticulous and professional operation that requires specialized skills. Here is a detailed step-by-step explanation: 1. Prepare tools and equipment
1. Slurry collection frame: Similar in specifications to a nest frame, the frame is equipped with a rotatable base plate for installing the base.
2. Platform base: There are two types: wax and plastic, used to simulate natural royal platforms for worker bees to secrete royal jelly.
3. Insect transfer needle: Elastic insect transfer needles are commonly used to move larvae from the bee spleen to the platform.
4. Tweezers: used to pick out larvae from the royal platform.
5. Slurry pen: used to apply royal jelly from the inside to the outside of the table.
6. Cutting edge blade: used to cut off the raised edge of the base.
7. Royal jelly bottle: used for storing royal jelly, it needs to be colored, well sealed, and kept clean. 2、 Operation process
1. Form a new platform for slurry collection frame. Place the slurry collection frame flat on the workbench, rotate the platform base plate, and make the side of the adhesive platform facing upwards. Place the already made base on a smaller wooden sample stick and use heated wax to stick each of the four base plates of the slurry collection frame, with 15 to 25 sticks per plate. After sticking the base, align the base plate so that the base opening is flat and uniformly downward. Send the slurry collection frame to the bee colony with a high mood for platform construction, and let the worker bees clean and process it for 30 to 60 minutes. When white or yellow new wax appears on the base and the edge of the platform is flat and slightly rolled inward, the insect can be removed.
2. Add oviposition spleens to the bee colony 4 to 5 days before insect migration, and record the number of oviposition spleens added each day and the larval spleens available for use the next day. When moving insects, select one day old larvae and use a transfer needle to move them to the center of the platform. The migration of insects should be fast and accurate, ensuring a balanced larval age, no needle injuries, and a high survival rate.
3. After moving the insect's slurry collection frame, align the table substrate so that the mouth of the table substrate is neat and consistent downward. Place the sampling frame into an insulated transport box (or wrap it with a towel or other material), transport it to the edge of the beehive, and lower it into the bee colony that produces royal jelly.
4. After 3 \ \~4 hours of supplementing and transferring insects, or the next morning, raise the sampling frame and check the acceptance of the platform. Add larvae of the same age to the unaccepted platform and then send them back to the bee colony. The purpose of relocating larvae is to increase the acceptance rate of the colony to the platform and increase the production of royal jelly.
5. The time for extracting royal jelly depends on the age of the insects at the time of migration and the required consistency of the royal jelly, usually 65 to 70 hours after migration. When lifting the frame, gently shake off the bees attached to the sampling frame and use a brush to clean them. Use a blade to cut off the raised edge of the upper part of the pedestal one by one, being careful not to cut through the insect body. Use tweezers to pick out the larvae from the royal platform, being careful not to bring out the royal jelly. Gently brush along the inner wall of the table with a slurry pen, remove the royal jelly and scrape it into the mouth of the royal jelly bottle. Brush each base twice to ensure that the royal jelly is completely removed. 3、 Precautions
1. Hygiene and Disinfection: All utensils that come into contact with royal jelly must be kept clean and disinfected with 75% alcohol before use.
2. Storage conditions: Royal jelly must be immediately frozen at low temperature after collection. Keeping it at room temperature can reduce its activity and even cause fermentation.
3. Bee colony management: Maintain the health and strength of the bee colony, and increase the acceptance rate of worker bees towards larvae.
By following the above steps, Italian bees can successfully extract royal jelly. This process requires patience and attention to detail to ensure the quality and yield of royal jelly.