Abstract

ALMEIDA, Rosana  and  ESPENCER EGEA SOARES, Ademilson. Usage of green coconut water and different tissue culture media for in vitro honey bee semen storage (apis mellifera; hymenoptera: apoidea). INCI [online]. 2002, vol.27, n.6, pp.317-321. ISSN 0378-1844.

Honey bee semen was stored in green coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) water plus dihydrostreptomycin and in commercial tissue culture media at different temperatures. Glass capillary microtubes of 0.1cm diameter and centrifuge microtubes 0.2ml capacity were used for semen storage. Sperm motility was assessed after 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 30, 50, 80 and 120 days. Queens were instrumentally inseminated with diluted semen and their laying behavior evaluated. Storage in coconut water shows living sperm until 80 days. However, the queen’s laying was normal and resulted in viable worker brood only when semen stored up to 15 days in coconut water medium was used for insemination. Coconut water seems to be an ideal natural diluent for short periods in vitro storage of honey bee semen and can be an appropriate method for genetic improvement programmes for honey bees.

Keywords : Apis mellifera ; Coconut Water ; Culture Media ; Instrumental Insemination ; Semen Storage .