Predicting the Fertility of Long-term Honey Bee Drone Sperm Storage through Correlation of In vitro and In vivo Data

The article describes a study on the long-term storage of honey bee drone sperm and the evaluation of its quality. The current method of evaluating sperm quality, which involves inseminating queens and waiting for progeny. It is time-consuming and limited by the seasonal nature of beekeeping. The study aims to find correlations between queen fertility rates and sperm quality indicators in the queen spermatheca versus sperm quality indicators after storage in a thawed sperm sample. The study also examines the correlation between number of sperm cells, sperm motility, sperm viability, proportion of worker bee broods, sperm quality indicators in the spermatheca of queen bees, and duration of queen laying. The goal of this study is to validate in vitro-in vivo data and to facilitate future research on sperm storage issues

Optimizing Beekeeping Production through System Dynamics Modeling: A Case Study on Forecasting Bee Queen Rearing Capacity

Commercial bee queen rearing is an intensive process in which the main commercial product, bee queens, are produced in a short period of time. The intensity is even more severe in regions where the beekeeping season is shorter, as preparation, rearing initiation and capacity increase during the season consume a lot of time. Bee queens can be divided into different product categories: virgin, mated, mated in isolated station, and instrumentally inseminated queens, and they can be further divided by race, pedigree, and colony characteristics. Each category is with varying time and resource consumption. To optimize bee queen rearing and choose the appropriate rearing strategy, product categories, production capacity dynamics, and other aspects, the authors of this case study developed a system dynamics model with the aim of finding the optimal number of production units, the most appropriate product groups and their volumes, according to changes in income and time consumption. The model clearly shows the system’s sensitivity to having too many production units – nuclei and queen rearing colonies. Too many production units led to ineffective use of nuclei, increased bee queen mortality, high bee queen surplus, high human and time resource costs and unnecessary batching of orders. The developed model demonstrated how to predict the optimal production capacity and how inefficiency leads to the inevitable collapse of the bee queen rearing system, from which the bee queen breeder cannot recover during the season. The model allowed to conclude that balancing material and human resources in bee queen rearing is very important for efficient production

Advancing Honey Bee Breeding with Low-Cost, Rapid and Accessible DNA Analysis Techniques

Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a major concern for beekeeping, and consistent breeding efforts are essential in addressing the various factors that contribute to CCD. Traditional breeding methods are often labour-intensive and may not yield the desired results in improving bee colony characteristics. The DNA analysis offers a potential solution by enabling the acceleration of breeding efforts, increasing predictability and reducing workload. While honey bee DNA analysis has been available for some time, its use in bee breeding has been limited to a few companies and research institutions. This review article aims to expand access to the DNA analysis by summarizing the genetic characteristics that can be determined, methods for predicting the transmission of these characteristics to future generations, and reviewing the most widely available methods and service providers for conducting DNA analyses. By utilizing the DNA analysis, a wider community of bee breeders can effectively address CCD and improve the quality and health of bee colonies

Sustainable Cryopreservation and Above-freezing Storage Solutions of European Honey Bee Apis Mellifera Drone Semen: A Review

The European honeybee Apis mellifera is the main pollinator for most crops used for human consumption. However, a number of diseases, parasites, pesticides and other factors that generally result in the widely described colony collapse disorder weakens honeybee colonies. In order to maintain the existing honeybee germ lines and facilitate the creation of new disease-resistant lines, it is necessary to ensure consistent breeding work, which would also allow the long-term preservation of the unique germplasm lines. One of the most promising solutions for the preservation of honeybee germplasm is the storage of honeybee drone semen. In recent decades, there has been a renewed interest in the preservation of honeybee drone semen using both cryopreservation and non-freezing storage methods. This review will look at the latest developments in novel sperm storage technologies and compare them with well-known preservation solutions. Additionally, the most accessible and widely used solutions will be reviewed, taking into account the cost of the necessary equipment, the complexity of the methods, time consumption and resulting sperm quality

Optimizing Honey Bee Drone Rearing: An Examination of Colony Management Techniques and Their Impact on Sperm Quality

The vitality, ejaculation success, sperm quantity, sperm viability and motility directly depends on the breeding conditions of the honey bee drones because since the egg stage, both the larva and the adult drones are fully taken care of by the worker bees. Worker bees choose to care for and feed drone brood only during the season when mating of virgin queen bees takes place in nature. If there is a lack of food resources in the bee colony, the worker bees can decide not to feed both the drone larvae and adult drones and throw them out of the nest. In this field study, the various methods of preparation of drone rearing colonies are reviewed and tested: in the presence of a queen and without one, with an additional feed base (sugar syrup, honey, pollen), various sizes of colonies, etc. Drones were reared in these colonies, then their sperm were collected and sperm motility, viability, cell concentration and sperm quantity per drone were determined. In addition to that, authors also evaluated the parameters characterizing the quality of sperm in different races of honey bee drones

Review on Sustainable Cryopreservation and Nonfreezing Storage Solutions of European Honeybee Apis Mellifera Drone Semen

The European honeybee Apis mellifera is the main pollinator for most crops used for human consumption. However, a number of diseases, parasites, pesticides and other factors that generally result in the widely described colony collapse disorder weakens honeybee colonies. In order to maintain the existing honeybee germ lines and facilitate the creation of new disease-resistant lines, it is necessary to ensure consistent breeding work, which would also allow the long-term preservation of the unique germplasm lines. One of the most promising solutions for the preservation of honeybee germplasm is the storage of honeybee drone semen. In recent decades, there has been a renewed interest in the preservation of honeybee drone semen using both cryopreservation and non-freezing storage methods. This review looks at the latest developments in novel sperm storage technologies and compares them to well-known preservation solutions. Additionally, the most accessible and widely used solutions will be reviewed, taking into account the cost of the necessary equipment, the complexity of the methods, time consumption and resulting sperm quality

Advancing Honey Bee Breeding: A Review of the Most Effective Methods for Introducing New Queen Bees

The aim of this review article is to identify the most commonly used methods for introducing new queen bees to a colony and to evaluate their success rates. Through a literature review, the authors select the most frequently used methods and assess their advantages and disadvantages, as well as the success rate for each method. While beekeepers have developed various methods for introducing new queen bees, there have been no comprehensive studies to determine which methods have the highest success rates. Successful introduction of a new queen bee is crucial for beekeeping, as unsuccessful introductions can result in the loss of queen bee material, colony collapse, development of laying worker bees and reduced productivity of the colony

Review-based Emergy Analysis of Energy Production

The role of power and thermal energy is impossible to overestimate in development of both state economy sector and everyday life of households. Importance is connected with use of resources, economical feasibility and effect to climate changes. The optimization of energy production allows to promote development of sustainable society. The most popular and efficient technologies for generation of power and thermal energy are cogeneration plants (CHP). Traditional evaluation methodologies of energy production systems are based on analysis of energy and mass balances as well as on cost analysis. It is not enough for assessment of complete sustainability of system. Necessary environmental impact assessment of energy production is possible to implement by use of emergy analysis. Definition of emergy includes one type of energy, which is used directly or indirectly to produce materials, provide services and finances. Emergy dimension is emjoules (seJ.). Paper presents case study of emergy analysis of different operation modes of one cogeneration plant

Investigating the Performance of the Compact Particulate Matter Collector for Use in Domestic Water Systems

The concept of the new water treatment system was developed. The system is based on the previously invented technology – Compact Particulate Matter Collector (CPMC). A primary area was defined in which such technology is intended to be used: water treatment in compact flue-gas condensation systems for a low-power wood-fuelled biomass boiler. Such a system is intended for use in domestic conditions. Such a process involves contamination of technical water with a mixture of particulate matter, resulting in suspension. The CPMC aims to divide the suspension into the relevant fractions effectively. A prototype operating based on CPMC technology was built. An experimental plan was developed, and an experimental stand was constructed to determine the prototype’s efficiency. The experimental plan envisaged five different prototype operating modes and two research steps, depending on the degree of prototype modification. Based on the research results, it was concluded that the prototype could operate effectively in the laboratory environment: achievable efficiency is equal on average between 57.84 % and 88.09 % depending on the operating mode (see the diagram below). The result is assessed as positive. TRL 3 has been reached. The next phases of the study would be the integration of the prototype into the relevant compact flue-gas condensation system and the exploration of commercialisation capabilities, which will stimulate TRL increase

DŪMGĀZU KONDENSATORS LUDZAS KATLU MĀJĀ. LATGALES VEIKSMES STĀSTS

Valsts un reģionu energosektora ilgtspējīgas attīstības pamatnosacījumi ietver energoresursu nepārtrauktu energoefektivitātes paaugstināšanas procesu un atjaunojamo energoresursu vispusīgu izmantošanu. Tie ir jautājumi, bez kuriem nav iespējama arī Latgales „zaļā“ izaugsme. Atjaunojamo energoresursu energoefektīva izmantošana ir svarīga vairākos aspektos. Pirmkārt, tai ir liela nozīme fosilo kurināmo aizstāšanā, kas ļauj mazināt importētā kurināmā patēriņu valsts mērogā, tā nodrošinot valsts enerģētisko neatkarību un paaugstinot energoapgādes drošību. Otrkārt, tai ir pozitīva ietekme uz tautsaimniecību un ekonomikas attīstību kopumā, jo tiek nodrošinātas jaunas darba vietas enerģētiskās koksnes sagatavošanā un piegādē un vietējo resursu pilnvērtīgā apguvē. Vienlaikus atjaunojamo energoresursu izmantošana ir arī globālo un reģionālo klimata pārmaiņu samazināšanas jautājums. Latgales reģiona energoavotos arī izmanto, enerģētisko koksni malkas, šķeldas un granulu veidā. Arvien lielāku lomu spēlē šķeldu katlu mājas pilsētu un pagastu centralizētas siltumapgādes sistēmās, nomainot dabasgāzes katlu māju fosilo kurināmo ar koksnes šķeldu. Tam ir vairāki priekšnosacījumi:• koksnes šķelda ir lētāka par fosilo kurināmo;• ir iespējama kurināmā piegādātāju izvēle, nodrošinot augstāku šķeldas kvalitāti; ir pieejamas energoefektīvas šķeldas dedzināšanas tehnoloģijas;• ir iespējama katlu mājas darbības automatizēta vadība;• ir iespējams paaugstināt šķeldas katlu māju energoefektivitāti.Lai izpildītu pēdējo nosacījumu, ir jāizstrādā tehnoloģijas, kas paaugstinātu katlu mājas iekārtu lietderības koeficientu. Šāda iekārta ir dūmgāzu sastāvā esošo tvaiku kondensācijas tehnoloģija, pateicoties kurai var dedzināt nekvalitatīvu šķeldu ar augstu mitruma saturu, jo tvaiku kondensācijas siltums tiek atgūts gāzu kondensatorā. Termins „gāzu kondensators“ tiek lietots, lai uzsvērtu to, ka gāzu skalotnī vissvarīgākie ir fāzu pārejas procesi. Gāzes kondensatora izstrāde ir Rīgas Tehniskās universitātes Vides aizsardzības un siltuma sistēmu institūta kontaktaparātu skolas izpētes un izstrādes rezultāts. SIA „Ludzas Bioenerģijas“ katlu mājā 2011. gadā tika uzstādīts dūmgāzu kondensators aiz 8MW šķeldas katla. Iekārtas rūpnieciskā izpēte ļāva noteikt iekārtas darbības efektivitātes vērtību un atrast parametrus, no kuriem ir atkarīgs ne tikai dūmgāzu kondensatora, bet arī visas katlu mājas lietderības koeficients. Rūpnieciskā eksperimenta datu apstrādes rezultāti liecina, ka kondensatora jauda ir 17% no katla jaudas daļējas katla slodzes gadījumā un 14%, ja katla slodze pieaug līdz 0,75 no nominālās vērtības. Pētījums tapis Valsts pētījumu programmas „LATENERGI“ ietvaros