First laboratory for artificial insemination of bee queens opened in Cimişlia

Chisinau, 26 /MOLDPRES/- The first laboratory for artificial insemination of queen bees, owned by Moldovan producers began work in Sagaidacul Nou village, Cimișlia district. The laboratory was endowed with the support of the project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) High Value Agriculture in Moldova (USAID / APM), which provided the most modern equipment that allows the development of high quality genetic material capable of producing significant quantities of honey.

The USAID / APM project invested about 400 thousand lei in the new laboratory, equipped with seeding equipment, an incubator with a capacity of 400 queens, a microscope. The laboratory will be used for the artificial insemination of Carpathian bee queens, selected from families with special genetic characteristics. Subsequently, the selected queens will be distributed to beekeepers for multiplication.

According to Petru Sacară, the head of the Association from Cimişlia, the production of quality genetic material ensures healthy bee families, resistant to various diseases, which produce quality honey.

In addition to the artificial seeding laboratory for queens, a series of trainings was initiated for professional beekeepers and young beekeepers who want to study and reproduce queens for Moldovan beekeepers.

"The USAID / APM project provided complex assistance for the development of the beekeeping sector in Moldova, which managed in 2019 to make exports worth about 11.9 million dollars. For the most part, USAID assistance has focused on increasing productivity and sales. With USAID support, MoldApis today can produce quality genetic material, becoming a local educational and production center for all beekeepers in Moldova, "said Scott Hocklander, head of the USAID mission in Moldova.