How to preserve the surplus nest spleen?

   Bee spleen is made by bees with wax plates, which is the basis for the survival of bees. In the process of beekeeping, there will be some redundant nest spleen, which can be preserved for future use. What are the requirements for the preservation of the nest spleen? Now let's learn how to preserve the surplus spleen!

Which nests and spleens cannot be left?

   There are several points to be noted in the preservation of the nest spleen: 

• First, the nest spleen that cannot be used cannot be retained; 
• Second, the old spleen with darker color cannot be retained;
• Third, the nest spleen with more drone houses cannot be preserved;
• Fourth, the uneven nest spleen cannot be retained; 

   The above four situations are of no use value and should be discarded decisively. Therefore, when preserving the nests, it is necessary to exclude these inferior nests first, and then do a good job of sterilizing the nests to prevent long-term damage to the nests. The preservation of the nest and the appearance of deterioration of the nest.

Which nests and spleens can be preserved?

1. nest spleen with lighter and newer appearance

  This kind of nest spleen, which looks light in appearance and is relatively new, is a new spleen just created by bees. Because of its new color, it can still be used. When it is stored, it should be preliminarily treated. The specific processing steps are: shake the honey on the nest spleen, and then put it back outside the insulation board in the hive, so that the bees can clean the nest spleen after taking the honey, and then manually disinfect it for long-term storage.

2. Preservation of honey spleen and powder spleen

  Honey spleen mainly consists of whole honey spleen and half honey spleen. The preservation of honey spleen and powder spleen usually occurs in winter. This practice is to prevent bees from dying of starvation in winter when honey is scarce.

  It is a supplementary feed for preservation, and can also be used as spring breeding feed in the next spring. The preservation time should be started in autumn. The preliminary treatment method for preservation, It also needs to be sterilized before continuing to use.

How to sterilize the spleen?

   There are three common ways to sterilize the spleen: 

• The first is fumigation, that is, to preserve the spleen after treatment with drugs. The advantage is to preserve it for a longer time, while the disadvantage is that there will be drug toxicity if it is not handled well; 
• The second is the freezing method, which uses low temperature for freezing. The advantage is simple operation, but the disadvantage is that it cannot be kept for too long, otherwise it will require long-term low temperature and high cost;
• The third method is to preserve the nest spleen in the relay box. The advantage is that the operation is simple, but the disadvantage is that after long-term preservation, the nest spleen will turn black.

1. Freezing method

   The freezing method may be better understood by everyone. In fact, it is to directly put the spleen in the freezer at minus 18 ℃ for 1-2 days, and then store it according to the classification of the spleen.

2. Fumigation

   Fumigation is used to sterilize by means of drugs. Common drugs include formic acid solution disinfection, sulfur or sublimed sulfur disinfection. These disinfection drugs are relatively easy to find for beekeepers, especially for those who breed Italian bees. They are essential drugs for Italian bees to kill mites. Here we take sulfur as an example to briefly introduce how to operate.

   Before disinfection, first prepare an empty stepbox, and then put the nest spleen to be disinfected into the stepbox. On average, each stepbox is filled with about 8 to 10 pieces. Then, put 4 to 6 pieces of nest spleen into the nest box with a rear window, and distribute them evenly to both sides of the nest box. Put a high temperature resistant container in the middle of the nest box, such as a stainless steel bowl or a ceramic bowl. Ignite charcoal and put it into the bowl or bowl. Then, fold the stepbox and cover it with a bee cover, Put sulfur in the back window of the nest box at the amount of 3~5g for each stepbox, and let the sulfur dioxide gas in the nest box fumigate for about a day. Take it out and store it. Pay attention to the quick cover after putting sulfur here.

3. Relay box preservation method

   This is a simple way to operate, just put the surplus spleen into the stepbox for preservation. The key point is that the effect of this kind of preservation is relatively good. The preserved nest spleen can still be used again. Its preservation principle is that workers often crawl around the empty nest spleen in the stepbox, which can effectively drive away insect pests. In addition, the colony in the stepbox is the same as that in the bottom box, so the preservation environment is suitable. Although this preservation method will cause many cases of spleen blackening, it still does not affect the normal use.

Warm tip: The nest spleen is the "foundation" that bees cannot live without. When the population is strong, there will be a large number of bees. The bees will need more nest spleen. However, affected by various factors, the bees will also turn from prosperity to decline. At this time, there will be unnecessary nest spleen. If these redundant nests are not properly preserved, they will soon be "discarded", either moldy or destroyed by the nest insects, Therefore, using the surplus nest spleen can not only avoid waste, but also effectively improve the efficiency of beekeeping.