Instrumental Insemination price please

[For want of a better word]

How do you do that, or I mean, how did you learn to do that, were you taught by someone, or did you learn trial and error, or over YouTube, etc.

It sounds quite a technical thing, that needs to be Very Exact!

Needs be where the devil drives!

Need some original Mackensen tips.... ones made from plastic that fit the Mackensen syringe.... any ideas... 3D printer?????

 

[B+.]

How do you do that, or I mean, how did you learn to do that, were you taught by someone, or did you learn trial and error, or over YouTube, etc.

It sounds quite a technical thing, that needs to be Very Exact!

I was originally taught by Michael Collier / Steve Loughborough at one of the BIIG events. That was quite a long time ago though.
I also did a tutorial over Whatsapp with Alexander Wachholz who clearly has quite a lot of experience. Then, I sat down and experimented with it. Testing the effect of different drop heights, etc. I wasted quite a few micro-pipettes but eventually got the hang of it. Like most of these things, it does require a certain amount of practice.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Steve Loughborough at one of the BIIG events.

Steve is also a member on here.

 

[B+.]

I make my own, but, thanks for the offer.
Others may appreciate the information though.

I think most people would buy tips from Schley (Prof Schley has now retired so Alexander Wachholtz ([email protected] took over the business). They cost around £30 for 5.

Correction:

The 2018 price list quotes
85mm long tips (for device mounted syringe) to be 23.40 euros / 5
30mm short tips (for use with the Harbo syringe) to be 24.90 euros / 5

so, I was a little above the 2018 price but, by the time you add postage/etc £30 isn't far off.
I don't have a copy of the 2019 price list yet so I don't have the current price

Incidentally, these don't come with the leur fitting that the ones hivemaker referred to have, so, if you're looking for tips, be careful to order the ones that fit the device you have.

 

[B+.]

How do you do that, or I mean, how did you learn to do that, were you taught by someone, or did you learn trial and error, or over YouTube, etc.

It sounds quite a technical thing, that needs to be Very Exact!

The beauty of making anything yourself is that you can adapt it to your own preferences. Not content with making his own tips and hooks, Hivemaker made his own tip-puller.
Of course, you have to balance adaptability with repeatability since the more variation you have in essential parts, like tips, can affect your success rates in instrumental insemination.
Dave Cushman has some interesting comments about the profile of II tips here (http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/tipshape.html ) and, I have to say, he is spot-on with his comment about modern commercial tips being "stubby" (i.e. flat at the front). I have measured some of the tips I bought from Alexander Wachholtz (for comparison purposes) and found them to have an internal diameter of 0.15mm and an external diameter of 0.3mm.
That means 0.3mm has to be inserted into the queens vagina, slipped past the valve-fold and into the median oviduct.
My own preference is for tips to be ~ 0.24mm (which is about as fine as I can make them consistently) These are also longer than the stubby commercial tips and, I find, I can collect sperm easier without clogging the tip with mucus. That may sound counter-intuitive but I think I can see better with the longer "draw" of the tip so I can control it better. Of course, the downside is, they are more fragile because the thickness of the glass at the tip is reduced. It's "horses for courses" though. I go back to what I said at the beginning: you have more flexibility to adapt the profile of the tip if you make your own.

 

[For want of a better word]

B+ do you "flame polish" your tips or cut an buff with a Dremmel ( brown or green wheel)?

 

[B+.]

B+ do you "flame polish" your tips or cut an buff with a Dremmel ( brown or green wheel)?

When the glass is cut, it is quite sharp/ragged if you look at it under the microscope. It has to be flame polished to melt the ragged edges or you will damage the queens insides and she'd almost certainly die of infection. Flame polishing gives perfectly smooth glass so nothing more is required (i.e. I'd only use the Dremel if I wanted to put a bevel on the tip...that brings its own problems so I don't do it).
I use the element to flame polish all the way around at the same time. If you use a bunsen burner, or something like that, you'll get uneven polishing

There is a clip here where the chap grinds the edges with fine grit wet & dry sandpaper too (https://youtu.be/5kZYcz_jUGw?t=125). When I tried that, I got lots of filings inside the micropipette. I found it much easier to use the coil (which was how Alexander Wachholz recommended anyway)

 

[Hivemaker.]

B+ do you "flame polish" your tips or cut an buff with a Dremmel ( brown or green wheel)?

I have a slightly different procedure from B+, first I flame polish the tips, then grind them at a slight angle using a dead flat water bath and a strip of 1200 w/d, I then flame polish again...the first flame polishing prevents the sharp edge of the glass splitting while it is being ground.

 

[B+.]

I have a slightly different procedure from B+, first I flame polish the tips, then grind them at a slight angle using a dead flat water bath and a strip of 1200 w/d, I then flame polish again...the first flame polishing prevents the sharp edge of the glass splitting while it is being ground.

Yes. I've done it that way too. How did you get all the filings out of the pipette though? No matter how much I flushed, I could still see filings inside when viewed under the microscope. How do you get them all out?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Yes. I see what you mean. How did you get all the filings out of the pipette though? No matter how much I flushed, there were still metal filings inside

W/D silicon carbide, the water keeps the tips quite clean while grinding, but when they are done I clean them using a vacuum pump connected onto a capillary tube to the tip, then flush through using isopropyl, then water and finally into an autoclave bag and sterilized.

After use I clean them the same way, but also use an ultrasonic wave cleaner.

 

[wightbees]

Video clip of your complete process would be great HM

 

[Hivemaker.]

Video clip of your complete process would be great HM

LOL...I don't do videos, welcome to come and watch though.

 

[B+.]

LOL...I don't do videos, welcome to come and watch though.

If we could arrange a convenient time, I'd happily bring my kit down and we could compare methods.

I also use a high frequency waterbath. I wasn't completely happy though so I bought a cleaning product for breaking down albuminous residue. I then sterilise in a pressure cooker

 

[wightbees]

LOL...I don't do videos, welcome to come and watch though.

That would be great, I message you later in the year, see if you got time

 

[Hivemaker.]

If we could arrange a convenient time, I'd happily bring my kit down and we could compare methods.

That would be great, I message you later in the year, see if you got time

That would be fine, July... or better still, August, when all the bees are sorted for the heather.

 

[B+.]

That would be fine, July... or better still, August, when all the bees are sorted for the heather.

Count me in.

 

[For want of a better word]

Count me in.

Me too... could bring MLM along... if I can get him out of his II Caravan !!!

 

[wightbees]

Sounds great we go for August as it's better timing for you. Look forward to it

 

[Ian123]

I would get them all down about the time you need all the hives humping off the truck