The topic of Instrumental Insemination (II) is a very diverse and intensive
topic.  The II process dips into many different areas of beekeeping, these
include the raising of queens and drones as well as the basic biology of
the bees.  Stages of development are very important up through sexual
maturity.  A basic understanding of genetics is essential for the
understanding of what type of crosses can be made and what to expect from
them.  The sex determination of the honey bee must be fully understood.
And general beekeeping skills must be discussed for II to work.
 
Instrumental Insemination is the act of transferring the semen of the drone
into the oviducts of a sexually mature queen.  This is accomplished with
the use of a microscope to see the queen and semen from the drone, a
specially designed instrument for the transfer of the semen, and a CO2 tank
to anesthetize the queen during the II process.  All this hast to be done
in a very clean environment.  The instrument must be sterilized.  Any
bacteria that comes into contact with the semen will contaminate it.
Contaminated semen will kill many of the queens that are inseminated with
it.  The normal process is to collect enough semen (50-100 microliters) to
inseminate 8 to 15 queens in a syringe.  Any contamination will quickly
spread through out the entire batch of semen.
 
There are many variations on this process.  Single Drone Inseminations
(SDI), and Homogenizing semen are just a couple.  SDI is the use of
Inseminating a queen with semen from one drone.  Since queens multiple mate
with many drones a SDI queen is not mated well and will soon become a drone
layer.  This method of inseminations is used by researchers to reduce
genetic variability in the hive ( all the drones semen is exactly
identical).  Homogenizing semen is used in some large breeding programs.  A
large quantity of semen is collected (100 + microliters) and is mixed or
homogenized in a centrifuge.  By using this process the whole batch of
semen is thoroughly mixed and contain the same portion of semen from every
drone that was used.  Queens that are inseminated with homogenized semen
are mated to the exactly the same drones as all the rest of the queens
inseminated with it.  By doing this the only genetic variation in the hive
will come from the queen herself and not the semen she was inseminated
with.
 
There are very few breeding programs in the U.S. that are using II soley
for their breeder stock.  The New World Carniolan Program at Ohio State
which has the involvement of several breeders in California is one.
Hybri-Bee in Florida also uses II.  Taber's Honey Bee Genetics and Glenn
Apiaries in California also use II.  There are several other programs
throughout the rest of the world that use II soley for their breeding
programs too.  I don't know all their names or I would list them.  All
these programs vary on the style of breeding used; SDI, Hybrids, Closed
Population, ect.  Each has it's good points and bad points, which I will
not get into now.
 
I hope this answers some of the questions I have been receiving and if
there are any other questions just ask.
 
Garrett