It is a controlled coupling achieved by changing the time of

the flight.
For most breeders beekeepers, biology of mating in the bee is a horror. The flight copulation
makes it almost impossible effective control of this multiple fertilization. Both the
instrumental insemination that the operation of fertilization area on island or in the mountains
require considerable effort. And copulation in flight cage does not work, no offense to the
patents. Is it surprising that enterprising beekeepers have gone in search of new opportunities.

A little known method is the so-called copulation whose flight time is limited . This takes
advantage of the fact that natural matings occur only during a relatively short time in the
afternoon. Measures are taken to prevent the virgin queens and males selected to fly during
this time and they are released after this natural mating. Remaining alone, they are forced to
mate exclusively with each other. Experiments of this kind have been known for over a
hundred years. Unfortunately these are only anecdotal reports concerning only a few queens.
Sometimes it works and sometimes not. In the beekeeping literature, this method is included
under the term not quite correct to Moonshine matingie meeting the moonlight . See also in
this regard the articulet the Rev.. Father Dugat published in 1975 .

In Australia, a method is developed.

Joe Horner Rylstone Australia operates a professional beekeeping with about 900 colonies in
the tray of New South Wales, about 240 km west of Sydney. In addition to honey production,
he practiced extensively breeding. His breeding goals are in addition to the production of
honey, mainly vitality, softness, and no desire to build false buildings. So you can always visit
the colonies unveiled, and the honeycomb resembles that of Brother Adam - devoid of
uncontrolled construction. In the wild colonies which are very numerous in areas without
Varroa Australia, pronounced sweetness never happens.

Joé reproduces the Carniolan particularly pure, but in addition also the Ligustica and
Caucasica. Over 2,000 queens are mated to its mating station each year. The breeding season
extends into the New South Wales from late October to early March about.

Coming from a desperate situation.

Like many good ideas, the method of Joe Horner, control of the coupling has also resulted in
an emergency. In 1978 a regional association of beekeepers organized an official import and
Ligustica Carnica queens from Europe. Joé Horner is oriented Hay plains, then a semi-desert
region within Australia, a oasis mating station, Equivalent to an island in the middle of the
desert. At that time, there had been there a little irrigation and so there was a small
manageable area, suitable for bees. Wild populations could be easily discovered and
destroyed or would not even occurred at all. Joe was able, from there, protected Australian
feral colonies, providing easy multipliers breeding queens mated properly. But after a few
years, intensive irrigation programs in the Hay Plains perturbèrrent Oasis situation. The
appropriate place, the same type, the closest would be located more than 1,000 km from the
town of Joe ...

At that time Joe had to find an alternative. So he developed and perfected mating with limited
flight time (In English: CFTM = Controlled Flight Time Mating ).
The method CFTM

The basic principle of the method is to simulate in bees a night of 21-22 hours and only two to
three hours of light per day. Thus, all the tasks of a bee day would be completed within two-
three minutes - including the Queen of fertilization flight. Bees were held until the end of the
afternoon in a dark room and refrigerated; until every male wild populations have returned
that day in their hive. Once this is guaranteed, queens and males are desired released.

Compared to the instrumental insemination, not only the workload is significantly lower, but
do not intervene here - as in natural conditions - the most vigorous males for mating. It is
obvious that this method can only work if it is not used simultaneously by other beekeepers in
the area.

Fig. 1. The mating station (CFTM) service. Basically, the building in which bees and queens
spend their false night. They have been introduced in advance in the fertilization ruchettes: 3
railways (. Small, see Fig 5.), 10 Langstroth body, each divided into four nuclei. Thirty times
four nuclei each side of the building.
Here and there, there is arranged flowers and shrubs that serve as benchmarks queens.
Fig. 1a. The mating station (CFTM) in use, the other side of the building.

No need for protection of the mating station.

The Joe Horner mating station is located on his property in a valley with a northern
orientation (the sunny side in the southern hemisphere!), Which linger on the last rays of sun
in the afternoon and therefore with a later sunset. During the day, fertilization nuclei are
housed in a cooler powered by a diesel generator. Roofs and walls are insulated with
expanded polystyrene plates of 10 cm thick. All interior surfaces and floor are painted in matt
black. Two cold units are such that the temperature of the false night does not exceed 15-17 °
C.

In this cold room, out to the east and west three railways (small rails, see Fig. 5) on each with
10 wagons carrying nuclei quadruple (Langstroth boxes divided into four). Thus, the total
capacity of the plant is 240 nuclei. For a reasonable distance between the nuclei, the parallel
paths are separated by 2.50 to 3.00 m and the various wagons are connected by chains of 2 m
long. This rail system greatly facilitates and accelerates the transport out of the cold room to
the same place and return to the hangar at night. The extension and retraction are pulling or
pushing carts through a sleeve provided at its end with a hook.

The manual of the CFTM

As soon as the nuclei are repos with a queen cell ready to be born, they are placed in the cold
room. They begin from that day their day with limited flight. After 2-3 days, the bees got used
to the procedure out / in. About ten days later, the queens started their spawning. In case of
bad weather, we can extend the process until 5 to 6 days.

The nuclei are then transported to another apiary where bees resume normal days. The station
can accommodate a new coupling cycle.

Joe takes the mated queens when their first brood is lidded. fertilization nuclei are therefore a
little less than two weeks in CFTM conditions and a good three weeks under natural
conditions. Thus, they should not be malnourished (pollen) or suffer other damage.

Fig. 2. In Australia, for the very rich eucalyptus honey, there Fig. 3. At the scene of the beekeeping Joe, the only protective
are large gatherings of hives and very high "towers". clothing is a hat against the hard sun. Photos: Joe Horner.

The disposition of the male colonies.

The preparation of male colony and care to make it are in principle the same as for the
operation of regular mating stations. Males of these colonies, from installation and all the
time, must be used for couplings, and are therefore released that evening. In this way, the
introduction of foreign males is largely avoided.
Colonies Joe Horner males are placed in hives with two bodies Langstroth brood. The only
peculiarity is not located on the floor. About 20 mm above the floor, a queen excluder is
installed on it, there is a frame with a different height of 20 mm, so that the lower edge of the
lower frame is 20 mm above the queen excluder. An inlet hole is located under the gate, and a
second above. By a shutter one flight hole is still closed, the other open.

Each of the ten hives Joé male is populated by males from three different colonies. All these
thirty colonies allows fertilization devoid of genetic erosion. What is important since Joe
queens are mostly aimed at multipliers. When the fertilization process must go from one race
to another, it is enough for Joe to move his hives male contingent there and bring another
contingent.

Fig. 4. It can remove already higher high increases with a motorized lifting device on wheels
is to visit the body brood or to insert a new empty body or a hunting-bees.

In the hot climate of Australia males colonies maintenance is not without problems. Around
37-38 ° C, the males begin to restrict their flight activity. Above 40 ° C, they stop completely
to fly until the temperature falls below 39 ° C. The colonies Joé males are located all the time
outside. A canvas is stretched over, producing their 70% shade. The entire field of fertilization
station is covered with grass, which also helps keep the soil temperature at a comfortable level
for bees.

Queens fertilization flying in conditions CFTM.

As in natural conditions, it is the fourth to the sixth day after hatching the Queen made her
first orientation flight. However, under CFTM terms, this period usually becomes shorter.
Similarly, the duration of fertilization flight is shortened because after liberation, is only little
time to daylight. The average coupling time is 7 to 12 minutes, occasionally was observed 3
to 5 minutes. Even in this short time, the number of flights needed to complete fertilization is
less than in natural conditions. A large percentage makes only one flight of fertilization. Some
need two days to be coupled. And only very few still flying a third day. Over the past 25
years, Joe has observed thousands of fertilization flights.

The temperature in the cold room darkened also plays a vital role in the flight time of the
Queen. If it is maintained at about 17 ° C, bees hang together in length, as they do in the
normal course of the late night and dawn. Queen appears that about 13 to 15 minutes after the
coupling units have been removed from the cold room and open (openings 240). If, on the
other hand, the temperature in the chamber is maintained from 22 to 24 ° C, the queen can
sometimes fly to the same time the flight hole is opened.

Fig. 5. When the shadows lengthen, late in the afternoon, after the natural end of the flight of
the males, the coupling units are out of the cold room, pushed on rails and positioned.

Flight males in terms CFTM

The main place male congregation of fertilization station CFTM Joé Horner is located about
500 m on the other side of the valley. At the right time, you can see the flying males in this
place in an unbroken line.
To determine the exact time, where we no longer rely on foreign males, some flying freely
colonies are closely monitored. The colony with the latest flying males is selected as the
reference colony. Males starting and returning are then counted in intervals of two minutes.
The males and queens of Joe are released only when the reference colony only few males
returns are counted (at most three or four for two minutes). After liberation, leaving only 1½-
2 hours of sunshine.

Fertilization station CFTM Joé Horner has been operating for 25 years. During this time, Joe
has acquired an enormous wealth of experience in general fertilization flights and the special
case CFTM. The success of the coupling of the mating station CFTM is 60 to 80%. The purity
of the coupling was not verified until now with a test "cordovan". But we can - as Joe - based
on the sweetness and color of the offspring accept it as largely secure.

Try this method in Europe?

This raises the question of whether a similar system could work in our country. Australia is by
far warmer and drier especially. On the other hand, the day length is greater in our latitudes in
summer. It would be worthwhile to try this method in our country.