Bee artificial insemination. Queen honeybee (Apis mellifera) being artificially inseminated. The bee has been immobilised by sticking it to a small pi

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Bee artificial insemination. Queen honeybee (Apis mellifera) being artificially inseminated. The bee has been immobilised by sticking it to a small piece of wood (lower left). The genital opening has been teased apart by two metal hooks, and a syringe is being used to inject semen (white) collected from drone bees. Artificial insemination allows researchers and breeders to control the genetics of a colony, the members of which are all offspring of one queen bee. Desirable characteristics may be selected for in this way. Honeybees are economically important as pollinators of many of the world's crops. Photographed at Wurzburg University, Germany.

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Size: 4738px × 3126px
Photo credit: © VOLKER STEGER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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