History of Instrumental Insemmination
Scientific Beekeeping
Instrumental Insemmination was first attempted in 1927 by Dr Lloyd R Watson of Cornell University. Researchers had, for a long time tried to enduce the queen to mate by putting her into a large cage with some drones to no avail. Remember that it wasn't until the 1940s that people realised that she had more than one mate so the first attempts were made with sperm from one drone. The phto below is a screenshot from Bee World 1929. The instruments are not so very different to those used today.
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Instrumental Insemmination (II) was first attempted in 1927 by Dr Lloyd R Watson of Cornell University. Researchers had, for a long time tried to enduce the queen to mate by putting her into a large cage with some drones to no avail. Remember that it wasn't until the 1940s that people realised that she had more than one mate so the first attempts were made with sperm from one drone. The photo below is a screenshot from Bee World 1929.
In the years 1935-1937 Mackensen, Laidlaw and Nolan all worked on the equipment needed to further II. At an early stage they were using drones father than extracting the semen. Nolan produced a pencil shaped syringe with a cone shaped taper, this stopped backflow and could deliver the sperm beyond the valve fold. Carbon dioxide was being used experimentally as an anaesthetic as ealy as 1931 by Laidlaw. At this time sperm was taken directly from the seminal vesicles of a drone until in 1940 it was discovered that semen collected from the everted drone gave better results. There was still a problem in 1944 that queens were slow to lay.
In the years 1935-1937 Mackensen, Laidlaw and Nolan all worked on the equipment needed to further II. At an early stage they were using drones father than extracting the semen. Nolan produced a pencil shaped syringe with a cone shaped taper, this stopped backflow and could deliver the sperm beyond the valve fold. Carbon dioxide was being used experimentally as an anaesthetic as ealy as 1931 by Laidlaw. At this time sperm was taken directly from the seminal vesicles of a drone until in 1940 it was discovered that semen collected from the everted drone gave better results. There was still a problem in 1944 that queens were slow to lay.
Roberts in 1944 observed that out of 110 queens 55 had gone on mating flights on two consecutive days and returned with a mating sign. This was the first sign that even free mating queen bees more than one mate was required to fill her spermatheca. In 1951 Tryasko dissected queens returning from mating flights and when she measured the amount of semen found it was equivalent in volume to what 4 or 5 drones could produce. This was the final evidence that queens mate with more than one drone.
Mackensen first actually reported his use of carbon dioxide as an anaesthetic in 1944 and reported that queens inseminated with its use started to lay earlier. a year later he concluding that two spaced treatments of CO2 were required to accomlish the earlier laying. II would never have been successful if this observation had not been made.
Mackensen first actually reported his use of carbon dioxide as an anaesthetic in 1944 and reported that queens inseminated with its use started to lay earlier. a year later he concluding that two spaced treatments of CO2 were required to accomlish the earlier laying. II would never have been successful if this observation had not been made.
The Roberts-Mackensen metal instrument was made available commercially in 1947. Its movements were refined until it became the model above in 1970. Further refinements came with tips reengineered from different materials.
Habro became involved and his final version can be recognised as the equipment used today.
Habro became involved and his final version can be recognised as the equipment used today.
