50 μl Capillary Tube for HARBO Syringe (Pack of 5)

⚙️ Where it fits in the process

In the HARBO syringe the semen does not travel through the metal needle: it is collected and held in this glass capillary, joined to the micrometer by a short length of flexible latex tubing. The micrometer — calibrated at roughly 5.29 µl per turn — advances the column precisely; each queen receives a standard dose of 8 to 12 µl. The capillary is the working reservoir: it is not the tip that enters the queen.

📐 50 µl capacity, the dose in plain view

At 50 µl, this format covers several standard doses (8-12 µl per queen) before refilling — in the region of four to six inseminations per fill. The semen column, the air gap that separates it from the saline and any bubble are perfectly visible through the glass, which is decisive in such delicate work: a bubble gives a «spongy» response on the plunger and ruins dosing.

🔬 Glass, fire-polished at both ends

Glass is inert: it does not react with the saline diluent or the semen. Being fire-polished at both ends removes sharp edges and the risk of cracking when handled, protects the latex tubing and lets you seal both ends — with a silicone cap, glass bead or petrolatum — when storing the dose: semen keeps good viability for around two weeks at room temperature, better at 13 °C. Do not refrigerate or expose to sunlight.

🧩 Built for the HARBO system

It slides inside the protective glass barrel of the HARBO syringe and joins the insemination tip via latex, so swapping a capillary or a tip takes seconds. In professional practice it is treated as a consumable: cleaning the inside without compromising sterility is not viable, so it is replaced to avoid cross-contamination. Supplied in a pack of 5.

📏 50 µl or 100 µl?

· 50 µl (this one) — occasional work or a handful of queens; a shorter column and less semen at stake per tube.
· 100 µl — large batches, pooled semen from many drones and storing or shipping doses: fewer refills and fewer tubes to seal. Same HARBO system, twice the capacity.

⚠ This is not the insemination tip. This capillary stores, measures and doses the semen; it is not the glass tip that enters the queen, which is a separate, shorter part with its own latex connection. If you are after the delivery part, those are the HARBO glass tips.