HARBO glass tips (pack of 5)

🔬 Why the fine point and the fire-polishing matter

In instrumental insemination the semen is deposited in the median oviduct of the queen; the spermatozoa then migrate to the spermatheca on their own. That deposit happens in a tiny space, with the queen restrained and the hooks holding the chamber open. A tip drawn to a fine point, like a Pasteur pipette, lets you lay the semen down gently without tearing tissue or pushing too far. The two fire-polished ends remove the cutting edge left by the glass cut: no burr to scratch the queen on delivery, and no sharp lip to bite into the latex tubing at the joint. That's what separates a clean deposit from a session you ruin in the last millimetre.

🧩 Where it fits in the HARBO system

This tip doesn't work on its own. It's the delivery piece joined, by a length of latex tubing, to the HARBO storage capillary where you load the semen. That capillary comes in 50 µl and 100 µl, the two formats of the system, so the same tip serves you whether you work with the small capillary or the large one. If you already run a HARBO syringe, this is the consumable you restock; if you're setting the system up for the first time, it's the part you'll change most often. That's why it comes in fives: one breaking mid-session shouldn't bring you to a halt.

📏 Short length: handling in cramped rigs

The ~30 mm length isn't a decorative figure. The insemination station is a congested space — stereomicroscope, queen holder, hooks, CO₂ source— and a long tip vibrates, snags and forces you to correct your hand. A short tip gives more effective rigidity and less leverage: you bring it to the oviduct with a more controlled move and withdraw it without catching anything around it. On long sessions, where operator fatigue is real, that difference in handling tells queen after queen.

When this is the tip you want

· You run a HARBO syringe — it's the native replacement for your system; it joins by latex to the 50 or 100 µl capillary.
· You want a spare on the bench — the pack of 5 covers breakages and wear without stopping the insemination session.
· You work in a cramped rig — the ~30 mm give nimble handling where a long tip gets in the way.
· You use the SCHLEY system — then this isn't your tip; each brand has its own coupling geometry.

Instrumental insemination is a tool for genetic selection — fixing characters and producing the mothers of future queens— and it demands refined technique: the result depends on the operator, not the consumable. This product is a piece of glass; it does not by itself guarantee fertilisation or acceptance of the queen. Glass is fragile: handle the tip with care, inspect it before every use and discard it at the slightest crack or burr.