WO2015013774A1

WO2015013774A1 - Hybrid honeycomb for bees

Info

Publication number: WO2015013774A1
Application number: PCT/BA2014/000005
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ivan Milićević
Original assignee: Ivan Milićević
Priority date: 2013-07-30
Filing date: 2014-07-29
Publication date: 2015-02-05
Also published as: HRPK20160175B3; RS20160053A1; HRP20160175A2

Abstract

The hybrid honeycomb for bees includes the supporting artificial comb (1) which has on both sides of its surface inchoate comb cells (2) which have unequal, in height, edges (3) on which is applied a wax wreath (6) from which the bees develop the cell walls to the intended height (8). The hybrid honeycomb on its upper edge has in position a area for drone brood (17), and on the brim openings for the bees and the queen to pass through (13) from one side to the other and has elements so as to comfortably attach (12) the comb to the frame lathes (11), (14), and (15). The peaks of the inchoate cells (4) on the artificial comb (1) are not level in height and rough in length of the cell side peaks. The wax net is likewise rough and wavy on both surfaces of the hybrid comb.

Description

HYBRID HONEYCOMB FOR BEES

1) TECHNICAL FIELD in RELATION to this INVENTION

This invention relates to a two part honeycomb which has a middle bearing layer coated on both sides with bees wax which the bees draw out to construct their honeycomb foundation. It is classified as an international classification patent (ICP) classified as: A 01 K 47/04 artificial honeycomb.

2) TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

For years, one of the major problems that beekeepers encounter is the wiring of frames for wax foundations and their deformation during high summer temperatures. This problem is further compounded by the presence of, unauthorised, paraffin in the wax foundations which can be found readily in the market.

The problem of wiring frames for older beekeepers that have problems with vision and ridged fingers is that of inserting the thin wire through a small hole and then tightening the wire. The wire has the tendency to break during the process of melting the wax foundation and whole process has to be repeated. In one beehive there are thirty frames which needs about one meter of wire.

The deformation of wax foundations and drawn out honeycombs are caused by the low melting point of paraffin (around 35 degrees Celsius) which is a common occurrence in the summer. Paraffin should not be present in the wax foundations, however since it is much cheaper than wax which has an melting point of 67 degrees Celsius, unscrupulous wax foundation producers mix it with wax so as to increase their profit doing great damage to beekeepers and bees.

Due to the deformation of the honeycomb that part of the comb is crushed and the bees have to reconstruct the cells and thus increase the cell size. This induces the queen to lay drone eggs, which results in less honey in the hive as drones eat honey and do not forage for nectar.

Due to the above beekeepers encounter large problems in their work, impart also the extra work that the bees do in reconstructing the honeycomb a complex task that takes up valuable time and energy. A fact worth noting is that for every kilogram of honeycomb constructed by the bees they need to consume six kilograms of honey. This decreases the overall yield of honey, adding to the list of problems for beekeepers. 3) TECHNICAL STATE

There have been a number of solutions to this problem, examples of possible solutions are describe by a number of registered patents from which the most interesting ones are listed as: W00205632A1 ; W00243475A1 ; W08202653A1 ; W08502317A1 ; W093225070A1 ; W09532617A1 ; W02004054353A2: W02004112472A1 ; W02007020056A1; W020081 19847A1 ; W02001 1078566A2; W02ol 1 1 151 12A1 ; also patent for wiring frames under the number: Wo3O12013989Al, as is the patent from 6^th of September 191 1 number 994,559 prepared by Lewis Augustus Aspinwall; or from 01^st of February 1966 by W.Z.Convingotn number 3,231,907; or from Austria patent number 217774 from 25^th Octoberl961 (A2621/60) or the US 6,530,819 Bl; or the patent number: US3864196 (A) from 4^th of February 1975. Likewise the patent number: US4651372 (A) from the 24^th March 1987 is an attempt to give an answer to the problem of the honeycomb in the hive. Other interesting patent numbers are: WO 2008/1 19847 and WO 201 1/1 151 12. Within this sphere Mr Roy Ellis Auston gave his contribution with the patent: US3182339 (A) from 11^th May 1965 (3,182,339).

It appears that the attempts to date have been good, however they are not that good to satisfy the needs of the beekeeper and the bees, as one the most experienced beekeepers of the former Yugoslavia Mr Veroljub Umeljic (who has authored a number of important books on bees) stated the following: 'there are present attempts to construct plastic frames and plastic foundations as one unit, picture.249. Large bee colonies, after an extended stay in the hive on a good field, do not readily accept the plastic foundation and slowly or not at all draw out the necessary cells on them.' (End of citation) (VEROLJUB UMELJIC, Pcelarstvo (Beekeeping), Kragujevac, 2006, page.231.

Some the above mentioned solutions are too complicated for production. To date the best solution has been the foundations made from wax imprinted with a six sided shape (hexagonal) on both sides which is the basis for the comb cell on both surfaces and is placed in a vertical position and reinforced by beekeeping wire fixed to the frame.

4) EXPLICATION of the INVENTION'S ESSENCE

The primary aim of this invention is to improve the honeycomb for the bees, so that the honeycomb satisfies the bees and the beekeeper and increases the honey intake. The secondary aim of this invention is to make it easier for beekeepers in the preparation of the honeycomb, placing it in the hive and for the bees in finalising hybrid honeycomb.

The long term aim of this invention is to achieve a greater amount of honey saved by the bees, who consume extra honey during the construction of the honeycomb that they use as brood and storage.

Further aims of this invention and its advantages will be in part shown in the following description, and in part will be uncovered through the examples of this research. The hybrid honeycomb of this invention encompasses the central side of the core, which can be of artificial material or natural material i.e. Ecological material, which on both sides is constructed so that it has the initial form of a comb cell whose peripheral or ends are totally sharp tips (edges) and have at the same time different heights and irregular interacting cell joints. On these sharp cell tips or edges a wax wreath is placed on the whole surface of both sides of the core.

To date foundations, if made out of plastic, have been waxed over or covered with a thin layer of wax which is not required for the hybrid case. All previous foundations have been thin plate like forms constructed in one part or more parts where only a basis (wax covered or not) on which the bees added their wax on to the surface drawing it from their wax glands and continuing to draw out the comb cell on these boards which in practice has proven to be poor and unsuccessful, ineffective and non productive.

The hybrid comb brings to the bee something new and different from what they been used to up to now, that is that the bee does not have to wait to secrete wax from its wax glands and apply the secreted (fresh wax) onto the imprinted foundation with their jaws and shape it into the thin walls of the cells drawing it out slowly as the wax is secreted form its wax glands. Now the bee has a ready supply of wax applied onto the sharp edges of the already formed cells of the core of the hybrid honeycomb in the form of a wax wreath on each individual cell which the bees using its jaws only has to form and draw out the cells to the intended height and thus there is no waiting for the bee to secret its own wax as the wax needed by the bees is located on the cell.

From another point of view, after examining all the possible solutions which are technically available it can be seen that the presence of flat edges on the foundations is an unnatural situation for the bees. They have in their natural world all but not flat and totally flat edges which comprise the foundation's surface, even though imprinted it still covers the surface and that for the bee is not a 'natural' situation.

The hybrid honeycomb has uneven and non uniform sharp peaks of the inchoate cells on the hybrid's core. The unevenness is slightly wavy and irregular the difference measured in parts of a millimetre. The bees recognise this as a totally natural situation and automatically go to work to 'correct' the unevenness and finish the commenced work. The hybrid honeycomb is in communication with the bee's instincts in a natural way with its micro form and is the key element of this invention.

The hybrid honeycomb is elaborated or completed by the bees, in contrast to all previous solutions were the bees had to begin and complete the construction of the honeycomb from the extracting the wax onto the surface of the foundation in a unnatural or close to natural form which blocked the bee's natural instinct for constructing the honeycomb.

The natural construction of the honeycomb is done in total darkness, usually in a hollow tree trunk or a hole in a rock and under those conditions the bee's instinct and senses do not encounter even surfaces, as is offered by all registered patents to date. The hybrid honeycomb offers a totally different concept and construction approach towards the bee's instinct. It is designed for the bee's instinct. The hybrid honeycomb is designed for the bee's instinct and the cooperation with the bee offers the bee an easier way to construct the honeycomb. Solutions to date have forced the bee to work as how the beekeeper thought was best, using human logic.

The bee's logic is more specific than of the human and that is why the bee did not accept the solutions offered up to now for foundations, without consideration of what flat surface is offered and what material they were made of. The bee favoured foundations from pure wax even though they built on them as a last resort, when they had no choice.

Wax foundations in hives can be left unconstructed for weeks and even for months; in contrast hybrid honeycombs are worked on immediately, as the bee's instinct drives them to repair the nearly completed honeycomb. The same way as the bees repair the honeycomb after honey extraction process, they immediately repair the slightly damaged honeycomb. The bees have an instinctive interest to repair the honeycomb promptly so as to have it ready for brood raising and the storage of food.

The wax wreath laid on the peaks or edges of the hybrid is placed or spread so that the artificial comb f the hybrid honeycomb or the central supporting part of the hybrid allows the thawed wax to enter not more than one millimetre, this is repeated a number of times and on the edges of the sharp cell peaks is left a wreath of wax slightly uneven, the weight of this being some 60grams per 1 square decimetre, which is enough quantity of wax for the whole hybrid honeycomb.

The depth of the smooth inchoate comb cells is no more than one third of total height of the honeycomb on one side, and not shallower than twice the average length of the jaw located on the head of the bee, at least twice the depth of the bee's jaw claw. It has a totally sharp finish and is not thicker than the natural thickness of the comb cell.

5) SHORT DESCRIPTION of the DRAWINGS

The supporting drawings which are included in the description and form part of the invention's summary best illustrates the summary as describe so far and aids in explaining the basic principals of the invention.

Picture or fig. 2 is the drawing of the cross section of the hybrid's artificial comb surface.

Picture or fiog. 1 is the plan of one side of the hybrid artificial comb.

Picture or fig. 3 shows the front section of the supporting construction of the hybrid artificial comb surface. (This profile is the supporting frame of the comb).

Picture or fig. 4 is the cross section drawing of the initial hybrid honeycomb ready to be used, supporting artificial comb + wax wreath applied on both sides of the constructed comb cell peaks.

Picture or fig. 5 is the plan of one side of the hybrid honeycomb with wax wreath on the peak of the cell comb. Picture or fig. 6 is the cross section plan of the hybrid honeycomb on which is shown the broken lines the intended foundation of the drawn out comb.

. Picture or fig. 8 is the plan of the front segment of the machines' plate on which the hybrid artificial comb or surface supporting hybrid honeycomb is manufactured

. Picture or fig. 9 is the cross section of the segment machines' plate the fixed part of the machine for the manufacture of the hybrid artificial comb supporting surface.

Picture or fig. 10 is the plan of the hybrid honeycomb placed in the wooden frame showing the worker bee cells, also showing the drone cells under the upper lath, also showing the bees and the queen on one side, on the other side of the honeycomb under the upper lath and along the ends of the frame.

6) DETAIL DESCRIPTION of ONE MEANS of REALASTION of the INVENTION

Now the individual points of this particular invention, whose example is illustrated on the pictures provided. Observe the fig. 1, 2, 4, and 5 it can be seen that the hybrid honeycomb for bees includes or has a supporting artificial comb 1 , which on both sides has hollow already formed comb cells 2, which on its six angle peaks 3, has uneven edges, that is unequal sharp ends 4, on which is applied a wreath of wax 6.

Wreath of wax 6 on both sides of the supporting artificial combl is applied on the peaks of the artificial comb 3 uninterruptedly dipping the peaks 3 by touch, melted wax, not immersed, when the wax cools from its first application it is applied a second time, after cooling from the second application a third application is applied and so on until on the sharp peaks 3 is formed a wreath of wax on each cell 2. When the wax is applied on one side, the hybrid honeycomb is rotated and the same action is applied on the other side of the hybrid honeycomb.

By doing this a hybrid honeycomb is formed or produced as shown in picture 6 from beginning to end state. The supporting artificial comb is in the middle; on both sides is wax in the form of a wreath on the peaks of the comb cells 2.

In accordance to the invention the supportive artificial comb can easily accept the wax on its cell peaks 2 with sharp 3 unequal finished lines 4, after the application of the wax layer on both sides or wax wreath it is placed in a wooden frame which is comprised of comb top lath 11 side wooden lathes 14, and lower lath 15.

In accordance to this invention on the peripheral of the hybrid honeycomb thoroughfares have been designed and left (for the bees and the queen) 13.

Also in accordance with this invention on the very upper edge of the hybrid honeycomb 16, under the upper lath 1 1 has been designed and left comb cells (for drones) 17 which are a little larger than worker bee cells. In accordance to this invention, with the aim of achieving a fixed connection between the hybrid honeycomb and the framework, hasp tips have been designed and formed 12 which pierce into the set points of the lath 1 1 , 14, and 15.

As is best shown in picture 10 the hybrid honeycomb for bees placed into the framework and thoroughfare openings 13 presents an appropriate unit which is part of the overall beehive and can be used for brood raising or storing honey.

7) MEANS of APPLYING the INVENTION

In this manner the invention avails a practical, long-lasting and beneficial product that can be economically produced and which includes vital improvements in relation to the product or apparatus of this type.

The hybrid honeycomb can be produced from convenient artificial materials (artificial comb supporting surface can be produced from convenient plastic materials and from convenient ecological or biological materials). The dimensions of the hybrid honeycomb can be adapted to all types of hives in use and that are used by beekeepers.

It is observable to experts that a number of alterations and changes can be made to the hybrid honeycomb, without diverting from the boundaries and the principals of this invention.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. The hybrid honeycomb for bees which is comprised of a middle support or artificial comb part and an end wreath of wax, designate with this, that in the mentioned hybrid honeycomb for bees includes a wax wreath net on both sides of the supporting artificial comb of the hybrid honeycomb for bees.

2. The hybrid honeycomb for bees in accordance to claim 1 , designate with this, that the wax net for the construction of comb cells is applied on the peaks of the supportive artificial hybrid comb with ample material for the drawing out of the comb cell to its desired height.

3. The hybrid honeycomb for bees in accordance to claim 2, designate with this, that the wax wreath is applied on both sides of the supporting artificial hybrid comb.

4. The hybrid honeycomb for bees in accordance to claims 2 or 3, designate with this, that the final line of the formed comb cells on the supportive artificial hybrid comb is unequal in height without breaks and is continuous along its brim of six angled ends and each cell is differently formed but still in continuity.

5. The hybrid honeycomb for bees in accordance to claim 4, designate with this, that on both sides of the supportive artificial hybrid comb has a completed height of parallel sequences in waves of rows without losing continuity in wave like form.

6. The hybrid honeycomb for bees in accordance to claim 5, designate with this, that on the brim of the artificial hybrid comb is located thoroughfares so that the bees and the queen can pass through from side of the hybrid comb to the other.

7. The hybrid honeycomb for bees in accordance to claim 6, designate with this, that on its brim the hybrid honeycomb has sharp points or spurs on which the comb can be connected to elements on the wooden framework.

8. The hybrid honeycomb for bees in accordance to claim 7, designate with this, that the hybrid comb on its upper edge, under the upper lath of the frame, has formed cells for drone brood.