APIMIL PHEROMONE PRODUCT FOR TRANSPLANTING QUEENS AND PLANTING SWARMS INTO THE HIVE

This article presents the results of a study examining the effectiveness of Apimil pheromone product in performing key technological operations in beekeeping – planting infertile queens and swarms into the hive during purebred bee breeding. Experiments have shown that the use of a product containing synthetic analogues of Nasonov’s gland pheromones and queen bee substance significantly increases queen acceptance rates across various introduction methods. Specifically, queen acceptance increased from 70% to 92% with Titov cages, and from 56% to 84% with direct introduction. The findings demonstrate a significant positive effect of the product on bees’ behavioral responses to introduced queens in apiary conditions. The product was also found to be highly effective in establishing swarms: 100% of the swarms were established in the experimental group, compared to 69.6% in the control group. This demonstrates the high reliability and practical value of Apimil as a means of stabilizing bee behavior under stressful conditions that arise during the formation of new bee colonies and their adaptation to the hive. Statistical analysis (Fisher’s exact test, p<0.05) confirmed the significant differences between the control and experimental groups. The use of Apimil stabilizes the pheromone levels in the hive, reduces bee aggression toward newly introduced individuals, and prevents swarms from dispersing. This is especially important when working with high-value breeding colonies, where each queen represents not only genetic but also significant breeding value for the apiary. The obtained results allow us to recommend the drug for practical use in beekeeping as a means of replacing queens and preventing swarms from escaping when working with purebred bee colonies.