GB2506641A

GB2506641A - Beehive with slotted base

Info

Publication number: GB2506641A
Application number: GB201217826A
Authority: GB
Inventors: A Banbury
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-10-05
Filing date: 2012-10-05
Publication date: 2014-04-09
Also published as: GB201217826D0

Abstract

A beehive having a base section provided with angled floor sections A which slope downwards to a number of slots B which allow debris and the like to fall from the hive. A varoa mite screen F may be provided above the slotted base. The base can be used with a standard beehive or can be used with a hive provided with a recessed entrance or porch D. If the hive is provided with a recessed entrance the inner frames are shaped accordingly. The base may be provided with waterproof feet.

Description

The Banburv Beehive and Slotted Base.

* Written Description.

* Background.

The principle idea behind the hive and base is to try to create a living environment fbi the bee colony which is more closely based on what would be their natural habitat and which will also help the bees to combat infestations of parasites such as varoa.

In the wild, bees would typically build their nest inside a hollow tree at the top of the hollow, whereby any parasites which they dislodge from themselves during grooming, oriromiheir nest are allowediofalltoihebottOm of The void to perish.

In a typical modern hive (see Drawing 1'the base inside the hive is flat and only about 9mm beneath the comb frames so any debris discarded by the bees during grooming or nest maintenance falls onto the bottom and thus remains very close to the colony, at best just a few millimetres below*a screen mesh floor on which theheesare walking, at worst on the solid floor where bees circulate. In some hives.below the screen is a removable tray (as shown "3" on Drawing 1) which can be emptied by the bee-keeper, but this needs to be regularly checked and emptied to be ofbenefitwhich then disturbs the bees.

Statement of Invention.

* The Slotted Base The Slotted Hive Base (see drawings 2 &3) is made up.of.aseries of smooth sloping surfaces, labelled A" on drawings (which can be made of various materials) which extend the width of the brood chamber and which slope down to open slots, labelled IlB on drawings, (also the width of the brood chamber) so that falling debris, parasites etc roll down the slopes and exit the hive altogether via the slots to fall harmlessly onto the ground beneath the hive. These open slots also aid ventilation ofihehive in warmer weather. There maybe multiple sloping surfaces falling to multiple slots and the steeper the slopes the more effective they will be.

This Slotted Base can be made and sized to fit with most standard beehive types -National, Commercial, WBC etc (see drawings 2, 3 and 4).

Above these sloped floor sections a varca screen is installed (labelled "F" on the drawings) which can be either fixed or preferably mounted in a frame and thus removable foreaseof cleaning, and which prAvides a safedeck on which the bees can walk. * * Some bee-keepers prefer hives with a removable tray (labelled "G" on drawing 1) beneath a varoa screen so they can look for signs of parasites and judge the severity of any infestation by the numbers in the tray. With the Slotted Hive Base a container may be placed on the ground below the slots If required to achieve this type of inspection, which also then avoids the disturbance of the bees in the hive caused by removing the tray.

The Banbury Hive (see Drawings 5, 6, 7and 8) This "Slotted Hive Base" described above can then be combined with a smooth, sloping lower section of the front wall of the brood chamber (labelled "C" on the drawings). (The brood chamber being the lowest section of the hive where the queen lays her eggs and the young are reared). This sloping front wall thus creates a deep entrance porch or cave leading to the narrow entrance slot (labelled "E" on the drawings) through which the bees enter the hive directly beneath the colony rather than at the edge of it as with most conventional hives.

This porch or cave space has a sloping floor or alighting board, labelled "D" on the drawings, (bees like to land on a slope and walk uphill into a hive) and because of the narrowing it is also highly defensible (a. similar principle to a medieval castle gate, the narrowing giving the advantage to the defenders).

This improvement to the entrance for the bees also creates the opportunity to make an attractive external appearance to the hive which can be given various aesthetic treatments of walls, floor and ceiling to create unique and pleasing designs.

The same entrance cave and base and the various aesthetic treatments can also be combined with standard upper elements from other common types of hive for economy and exchange between hives.

To achieve the recessed entrance special shaped frames (on which the bees build their breeding cells) are required to fit the special brood chamber (labelled "H" on the drawings). Standard deep or shallow frames can still be used for all the supers above, so these will fit into standard honey extractors as normal. These special shaped brood frames have a considerably larger surface (comb) area than standard frames so by using just 9 frames the surface area each side is 9200squ. mm. an increaseof 33%over 10 standard frames(G900squ. mm.) and 21 %over 11 standard frames (7590squ. mm.). This helps to encourage a larger and stronger colony of bees and, in addition, the deeper brood chamber allows the bees to congregate into a more even cluster to survive The colder winter months.

As with any other hive type, additional supers (and outer wall lifts in the case of twin wall types) can be added as required for additional honey storage.

Many beekeepers stand their hives on bricks orblocks below the hive legs to raise the hive and also to help reduce the incidence of rot in the wooden legs. The drawings show a practical alternative of waterproof feet fixed directly onto the base.

When similarly mounted on bricks or blocks this will avoid rot in the legs and prevent water soaking up into the base, whilst still maintaining ventilation both below and inside the hive through the base slots:

Claims

Claims 1. A base for a beehive which beneath the area of the brood chamber comprises H angled floor sections sloping down to open slots allowing hive debris to fall out of the hive.
2. A base for a beehive according to claim I above, with a varoa screen placed above the angled floor sections.
3. A base for a beehive according to claims I and 2 above, sized accordingly to suit and fit with any standard type of beehive.
4. A base for a beehive according to claims 1 and 2 above, used in conjunction with an angled front wall section of the brood chamber to form a recessed entrance porch or cave leading to the hive entrance slot.
5. A beehive base and brood chamber according to claim 4 above, with specially shaped frames to fit the brood chamber space thus created.
6. A beehive base and brood chamber according to claims 4 and 5 above sized accordingly to suit and fit with other standard types of beehive.
7. A base for a beehive according to claim I above, with feet of a waterproof material.