GB2586263A

GB2586263A - Beehive entrance apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2586263A
Application number: GB1911695.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Edward Garry Guiver Norman; Filipe Duarte Salbany Paulo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-08-15
Filing date: 2019-08-15
Publication date: 2021-02-17
Anticipated expiration: 2039-08-15
Also published as: GB2586263B; GB201911695D0

Abstract

A beehive entrance attachment 11 having an outer surface, and an inner surface defining a chamber with a length, width and depth. The length and width define an area large enough for a queen bee. The depth is between 4 and 9. 5 millimetres. The chamber is hollow with a first side, defined by a length and width, at least partially open and a second side, adjacent to the first side and defined by the depth and the width of the chamber, is also at least partially open. A protrusion may extend from the side opposite the first side. The inner surface may be a base plate 14 acting as a baffle, with side walls 12, acting as a spacer and defining gap 17. There may be attachments 13 to retrofit the entrance to the inside or outside of a hole made in a side of a hive. The attachment may be a single piece of material and may be thermoplastics. A beehive with the attachment is also disclosed. A plug member [16, figure 8] may be used with the attachment.

Description

Beehive entrance apparatus The present invention relates to an apparatus for providing an entrance to a beehive, and to a beehive with an entrance comprising said apparatus.

Background of the invention

Tri 1851 the Reverend Lorenzo Langstroth discovered that bees will neither seal off nor build comb in spaces between approximately 6 and 9.5 mm (3/8 inch). This has become known as the bee space. Langstroth designed a bee-hive based on this principle, allowing a modular design with easily removable frames, since if the bee space separates the components the bees will not stick them together. This allowed for the non-destructive harvesting of honey, leaving the comb intact to be refilled by bees. Langstroth patented the hive (liS9300), and since then very little has changed in the standard design of the beehive. There is very little research and development in hive entrance modification and only Szabo (1985) (1) has shown that bees move towards higher entrances in the winter. However, these entrances were 50mm round entrances without any internal protection.

The conventional entrance to a beehive is at the bottom, as shown in Figure 1, and comprises a base unit 2 with a horizontal slot 1, through which bees enter and exit the hive. Forager bees entering the hive pass the nectar to worker bees inside the hive, who turn it into honey and deposit it in the honeycomb, which requires navigation upwards through the stacked sections of the hive. The conventional slot 1 has a number of disadvantages: * It is difficult to defend against intruders, such as robbing bees, mice, wasps and moths, because the slot is very wide and the defender bees have to spread out to cover it.

* Tt requires an "entrance reducer" that has no relevance to colony size and since bees use propolis around any gaps, this wooden reducer becomes almost impossible to move. In the Winter, the propolis becomes brittle and changing entrance size by rotating the entrance block requires the use of a tool which inevitably disturbs the bee cluster at the precise time period that bees should not be disturbed * There is a constant need for the beekeeper to monitor the hive in order to open or reduce entrance size using an entrance block. This is even more pertinent as colony sizes vary during the Autumn and Winter making the necessity to regularly assess hives more frequent.

* It has been shown that 15 -20'1⁄4 of new queen may be lost due to worker activity at the hive entrance and queen entering the wrong hive (2). It is proposed that the adapted entrance reduces this as there is a decreased level of "guarding" and a homogenous entrance size across neighbouring hives (3) * Because the entrance is at the bottom, navigating to the upper levels of the hive, where honey is deposited, takes time and reduces the efficiency of the hive's production. There is an increased level of congestion in the brood nest (4) which results in decreased laying space and an increased propensity to swarming (5, 6).

* The above changes have resulted in reduced defensiveness of the bees due to the smaller entrances; less internal congestion due to the second entrance; less disruption by seasonally changing size of entrances (less work for the beekeeper).

o Decreased aggression, particularly in urban areas, is of major importance in preserving public safety.

* Due to the universal requirement to use bee space, the entrance adaptor will fit almost any hive in commercial use (7), and is also easy to use in more traditional hives (Africa), providing an invaluable tool for hive management. Prior art attempts at providing additional entrances higher up the structure of a beehive, at the level of the frames in which the surplus honey is collected or in which the brood is reared, have suffered from other difficulties. The frames in which the surplus honey is collected are inserted side by side and run parallel, separated from each other by the bee space, and separated from the outer wall of the hive by the bee space. Consequently, in a conventional hive of cuboidal construction, an entrance cut into the side of the honey super 3 or the brood box 2, can either be cut into a side perpendicular to the frames or parallel to the frames. Tf a side parallel to the frames is chosen, the bees must navigate around to an adjacent side in order to access the space between the frames, following, for example, a path such as that depicted in Figure 2A, and thus reducing the efficiency of the hive. If a side perpendicular to the frames is chosen, cold air can blow through the entrance into the space between the frames, as depicted in Figure 2B, and the bees will therefore block the hole with propolis.

Conventionally, ventilation (8) is provided at the roof of the hive, such as the national hive' type design depicted in Figure 3, which comprises a slot in the roof defined by a section of the upper edge of a side-wall 4 of the hive and the three sides of an indentation 10 cut into the underside of the roof panel 5. Defensive mesh (not shown) is required to prevent the ingress of wax moths, whose offspring will destroy the wax in the frames used for collecting surplus honey. Wax moths are nevertheless attracted to lay their eggs on the mesh, and their grubs are small enough to pass through it. Furthermore, this system of ventilation is difficult to construct and does not easily allow for varying the level of ventilation through the year. There is also a tendency for bees to close or reduce this ventilation through the use of propolis which is extremely detrimental to in hive habitat due to increased carbon dioxide levels in the winter (9).

It is important to maintain a bottom entrance as the queen is stimulated by the increased incidence of nectar and pollen, particularly in the Spring (10, 11). Use of top entrances only results in decreased laying by the queen, slower colony development and lower rates of honey production (John White, BBKA, August 2019).

A solution is sought which solves or mitigates some or all of the problems of the prior art, in particular which provides: easier defence against wax moths, wasps and hornets, mice and other rodents, and snakes; more efficient navigation; protection from cold air; and variable ventilation. The present invention seeks to provide such a solution.

Acknowledged prior art

The inventors believe the closest prior art to be LS 6450858 BI. This discloses an additional layer in the structure of a beehive with an entrance baffle. Although this application has some features in common with the present invention, it is not retrofit-able to a standard layer of a conventional beehive and far more complex and expensive in construction, as well as lacking the advantages of direct access to the higher levels of the beehive such as the honey super.

Statement of invention

In accordance with the invention there is provided a beehive attachment having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a chamber with extension in length, width and depth dimensions, wherein the extension of the chamber in the length and width dimensions defines an area which is at least large enough to encompass a queen bee, and wherein the chamber is hollow, having a first at least partially open side and a second at least partially open side, the first at least partially open side being a side substantially defined by the length and width of the chamber, and the second at least partially open side being adjacent to the first at least partially open side and defined by the depth the width of the chamber, and wherein the depth of the attachment is less than or equal to 9.5 millimetres and greater than or equal to 4 millimetres.

The beehive attachment may comprise a protrusion into the chamber from the side of the chamber opposite the first at least partially open side, and proximate to the second at least partially open side, wherein the length of the protrusion is substantially equal to the depth of the chamber, and wherein the width of the second at least partially open side is at least sufficient for a queen bee to pass through the opening of the second at least partially open side on either side of the protrusion. The beehive attachment may comprise an attachment means for attaching the beehive attachment to an interior side of the wall of a beehive. The attachment means may comprise at least two attachment protrusions protruding from the outer surface of the beehive attachment, capable of receiving fixing means.

The beehive attachment may be made of thermoplastics material.

The beehive attachment may comprise a base plate forming the side defined by the length and the width which is not the first at least partially open side, and a side wall extending substantially perpendicularly from the edge of the base plate on all sides except for the second at least partially open side.

The beehive attachment may be formed of a single piece of material.

in accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a beehive comprising an entrance hole in a side wall of the beehive, with an entrance attachment according to the preceding aspect attached to the interior of the side wall of the beehive such that a portion of the side wall of the beehive comprising the entrance hole covers the first at least partially open side of the beehive attachment chamber.

The beehive may comprise a plug member removably fit-able into the entrance hole. When the plug member is inserted into the entrance hole, the entrance hole may be fully blocked. Alternatively, when the plug member is inserted into the entrance hole, the entrance hole may only be partially blocked.

The side wall may be a side wall of a honey super section of the beehive, perpendicular to the frames within the honey super section of the beehive. Alternatively, the side wall may be a side wall of a brood box section of the beehive. Brief description of drawings The invention will be described below with the aid of the following drawings, which are not to scale. The drawings are to aid understanding of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Figure 1 shows a conventional beehive.

Figures 2A and 2B show top view cross sections of the honey super or a brood section of a beehive with holes cut in the side for bee entrance and exit.

Figure 3 shows the top cover of some conventional kinds of beehive with a ventilation slot.

Figure 4 shows a bee entrance attachment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 shows a first side view and a second, opposite side view of a side wall of a section of a beehive with an entrance hole and an entrance attachment according to an embodiment of the present invention Figure 6 shows a top view of a side wall of a section of a beehive with an entrance hole and an entrance attachment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7A shows an entrance plug according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7B shows an optional end cap for an entrance plug according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7C shows an optional cross section for an entrance plug according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 shows a top view of a side wall of a section of a beehive with an entrance hole, an entrance attachment and an entrance plug according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed description of drawings

The entrance attachment 11 of the present invention is retrofittable, and in cooperation with a hole, for example a circular hole, cut into a wall of a beehive, provides an entrance chamber which fits into the bee space surrounding the frames in a honey super 3 of a beehive, and/or in the bee space around the frames of a brood box 2.

Although referred to in this description as an entrance chamber, the chamber is used equally for both entering and exiting the hive.

The entrance attachment 11 comprises a base plate 14, an optional protrusion 15, a side wall or walls 12 and attachment members 13.

The side wall 12 does not surround the whole of the base plate 14, but rather has a gap 17. For example, in the embodiment depicted in figure 4, the gap 17 extends along the full length of one side of the base plate 14.

The depth of the entrance attachment 11 is determined by the height of the side wall 12 and the thickness of the base plate 14. Because the entrance attachment 11 must be able to fit within the bee space which surrounds the frames in the honey super or brood box, but not so small that the bees will fill it in, the depth of the entrance attachment 11 must be no more than 9.5 mm, and no less than 4 mm, and preferably be 9.5 mm or 3/8 of an inch.

When attached to the inside of a side wall of a beehive over an entrance hole 6, as will be described below, the interior surface of the hive wall, the side wall 12 and the base plate 14 define an entrance chamber with two openings. The first opening is the hole 6, and the second is defined by the gap 17 in the side wall 12, the base plate 14 and the side wall of the beehive. Bees entering or exiting the hive will pass through first one and then the other of the two openings, climbing through the chamber on their way. The attachment may alternatively be fixed to the outside of the wall, providing an exterior entrance chamber, but it is preferable to install it on the inside of the hive because on the outside it is vulnerable to destruction by mice or other creatures.

The base plate 14 can be any suitable shape, that is, any shape that defines a large enough entrance chamber in length and width. In the depicted embodiment, the base plate 14 is 'bell-shaped', having one side which is straight and one opposite side which is rounded, with largely straight connecting sides which curve outwards towards the first straight side. The first straight side of the base plate corresponds with the gap 17 in the side wall 12. This shape may be advantageous because the rounded side provides greater structural strength to the entrance attachment 11, is easier to defend and gives attackers no corner in which to hide, while the long straight side corresponding with the gap 17 forms a wider access port to the chamber and so allows easier ingress and egress for bees A rectangular shape, for example, may also be selected.

Optionally, a protrusion 15 may be provided from the base plate, proximate the edge of the base plate corresponding to the gap 17 in the side wall. The protrusion 15 may extend from the base plate the same distance as the side walls 12. When the entrance attachment 11 is in use, the protrusion 15 effectively splits the gap 17 into two smaller gaps, creating two narrower access ports to the chamber defined by the entrance attachment 11 and the side wall of the hive. This protrusion 15 may improve the defence of the hive by blocking access to larger creatures. The two narrower access ports are wide enough to allow the passage of forager bees, drones and queens. The protrusion 15 may also improve the strength and durability of the entrance attachment 11 structure, by preventing bowing of the side of the base plate 14 not supported by the side wall 12 Attachment members 13 are provided to facilitate attachment of the entrance attachment 11 to a beehive. In the depicted embodiment, the attachment members 13 are in the form of wings extending from the side wall at opposite sides of the entrance attachment 11. The wings 13 have holes through them to receive a screw, bolt or other suitable attachment means.

The entrance attachment 11, comprising side walls 12, attachment members 13 base plate 14 and protrusion 15, is preferably formed of a single piece.

To attach the entrance attachment 11 to a hive, either during construction of a new hive or retrofitting it to an existing hive, a hole 6 is drilled in a side wall 3 of a hive. Retro-fitting should preferably be made to a new frame section, even a conventional new frame section, rather than in a section of frame already occupied by bees. The hole may advantageously be 25 mm in diameter, although other sizes are contemplated, as long as the hole is large enough for the passage of at least one bee and smaller than the base plate 14 of the entrance attachment 11. Linseed oil or similar may be applied to the cut-out hole to protect the wood, now exposed in its weakest aspect by cutting against the grain. This is especially important if the hive will be directly exposed to rain. As shown in Figure 5 from the interior side of the side wall 3 and the exterior side of the side wall 3, the entrance attachment is placed over the hole 6 on the interior side of the side wall 3, such that the base plate 14 has the side wall 12 of the entrance attachment 11 between it and the side wall 3 of the hive, thus defining an entrance chamber between the side wall 3 of the hive, the side wall 12 of the entrance attachment, and the base plate 14. Screws, bolts or other suitable attachment means are then inserted through the holes in the attachment members 13 and corresponding holes in the side wall 3 of the hive, in order to fix the entrance attachment 11 and the side wall 3 of the hive together. The corresponding holes in the side wall 3 of the hive may have been pre-formed, or may be formed by the act of inserting the attachment means.

The attachment preferably faces downwards. In other words, the gap 17 is directed downwards when installed in a hive. If it were installed facing upwards there would be the risk of the accumulation of debris in the entrance chamber. Airflow and access are also improved by the attachment facing downwards. The attachment may less preferably face sideways.

There is always the possibility that bees will attempt to fill in the gap, however small, between the attachment and the frames, for example, with propolis. This can be mitigated by the application of a layer of for example, petroleum jelly to the outside of the attachment.

The inventors have found a number of advantages to the use of the present invention. The hole 6 can be formed in the side wall 3 of the hive which is perpendicular to the frames in which honey is deposited, thus increasing the efficiency of navigation through the hive, while the base place 14 provides a barrier for cold air and so protects the hive from the cold drafts of the prior art hives with holes in the corresponding side wall 3, depicted in Figure 2B.

This is particularly important as with the encroachment of Varroa into the UK in 1992, there has been an increased use of a mesh floor to monitor mite levels. This has become the standard floor even though there is a paucity of research into whether bees require greater amount of stores due to the increased draught levels in the hive.

There is improved ventilation of the hive. This is significant in that damp is the primary cause of colony loss in Winter (12).

The entrance attachment also enables bee access in the event that there are substantial deaths in the hive during the Winter months, which can cause conventional entrances to be blocked by dead bees. Due to condensation in the hive, these dead bees are almost impossible to move by the remaining bees and the colony eventually succumbs.

The winter cluster moves slowly around the hive staying close to provisions(honey). However, the cluster may become very small and separated from the traditional low level entrance. The new protected entrances allow easier access as they are at a higher level and in line with comb (on frames).

Due to the structure of hives, there is a natural "alighting" stage for the bees which decreases congestion during periods of increased activity (honey flow).

hives are often placed on stands close to the ground, which facilitates inspection of the hives, especially if they are very tall. This reduces the opportunity for a landing board, and increases the risk of water splashing in a conventional entrance. The present invention removes the need for an addition to the stand floor, and mitigates these difficulties.

If a hive has a solid wood floor rather than a mesh floor, holes may be cut into the floor with a mesh covering at floor level, in order to allow for water run-off while preventing the build-up of debris.

The inventors have also found that wasp activity is dramatically reduced, even to the point where wasps are unable to invade the hive through an entrance formed by the present invention. A wasp will attempt to land by the entrance hold 6 but will fly away without crawling through. A hole with an entrance chamber on the inside allows the defender bees to concentrate their efforts in a smaller space than a conventional entrance slot running along the base of a hive. This is particularly important due to the present encroachment of Asian hornets, which hover outside hives hunting bees, but are too big to get through the entrance of the present invention.

Another way of viewing the entrance attachment 11 is as a 'baffle' 14 covering an entrance to a hive, separated from the wall of the hive by a spacing wall 12 and a protruding spacer 15.

A plug member 16 may also be provided, as shown in Figures 7 and 8. The plug member has an elongate plug section 18, with lateral cross section corresponding or partially corresponding to the cross section hole 6, such that in use the plug section 18 will fit through the hole 6 and either fill it or partially fill it. In the depicted embodiment, the elongate plug section 18 is conical, that is, it has circular lateral cross section, for insertion into a circular hole 6 of substantially the same diameter. Preferably the elongate plug section 18 is substantially hollow, and a supporting member 19 may be provided. This may take the form of a planar support member bisecting the lateral cross section of the elongate plug section 18 along all or part of its length. This increases the strength of the plug member 16 such that it better maintains its shape.

An end cap 20 may be provided at a distal end of the elongate plug section 18, where the proximal end is the end to be inserted into an entrance hole 6. The end cap may be planar and may have an area larger than that of the lateral cross section of the elongate plug section 18, such that an outer portion of the end cap 20 overhangs the distal end of the elongate plug section 18, around at least a portion of its circumference. This overhang may provide an aid to gripping the plug member 16 when removing it from a hole 6. The end cap 20 may provide additional structural support to the plug member 16. It may also provide a surface to engage with insertion pressure, such as pushing or hammering it into a hole 6. It may also prevent the passage of substances, objects or creatures through the body of the plug member 16.

While in some embodiments the end cap 20 may be a solid plane, in other embodiments, particularly in cooperation with the substantially hollow elongate plug section 18, thc end cap may have a pattern of holes to provide ventilation while the plug member 16 is inserted. Any suitable pattern of holes, lattice structure or webbed structure, such as that shown in Figure 7B, may be used.

The elongate plug section 18, the supporting member 19 and the end cap 20 are preferably formed of a single piece.

An alternative embodiment, depicted in Figure 7C, comprises an elongate plug section 18 with a lateral cross section corresponding to only a segment of the cross section of the hole 6. When inserted into a hole 6, such as depicted in Figure 8, only a portion of the hole 6 is plugged or blocked, allowing a reduced amount of substance, or smaller objects or creatures, to pass around the plug member 16 and through the hole 6.

The plug member 16 in cooperation with the entrance hole 6, which is made practical by the entrance chamber defined by the entrance attachment 11, can be used to manage the ventilation of the hive. As discussed above, the conventional ventilation solution dcpictcd in Figure 3 is difficult to construct and vulnerable to invasion by moths. Furthermore, the conventional ventilation cannot easily be varied, since it is provided by a slot which is often covered by mesh. The present invention allows for the selective insertion of plug members 16 to partially or fully block the entrance hole 6, in order to stop up an entrance and in order to reduce or increase the flow of air through the hive.

The entrance attachment 11 and the plug member 16 may be formed of plastics materials, preferably thermoplastics materials. They may be produced by 3D printing, which is particularly advantageous given the necessarily small dimensions. They may alternatively be produced by injection moulding, or another method as will be obvious to the a person skilled in the att.

The inventors envisage the use of dark colours being advantag-cous, since there is evidence to suggest that bees can be encouraged to enter a hive by contrasting a bright exterior with a dark interior.

Literature Cited 1. Szabo TI. The Thermology of Wintering honeybee Colonies in 4-Colony Packs as Affected by Various Hive Entrances. journal of Apicultural Research 1985; 24(1):27-37.

2. Perez-Sato jA, Hughes \X/OH, Couvillon Mj, Ratnieks FLW. Effects of hive spacing, entrance orientation, and worker activity on nest relocation by honey bee queens. Apidologie 2008; 39(6):708-13.

3. Root Al. The ABC and XYZ of bee culture: An encyclopedia pertaining to scientific and practical culture of bees / by A. I. Root. Ohio: A. 1. Root Company; 1975.

4. Winston ML, Higo HA, Colley Sj, Pankiw T, Slessor KN. The role of queen mandibular pheromone and colony congestion in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) reproductive swarming (I Iymenoptcra: Apidac). j Insect &hay 1991; 4(5):649-60.

5. Ferrari 5, Silva M, Guarino M, Berckmans D. Monitoring of swarming sounds in bee hives for early detection of the swarming period. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 2008; 64(1):72-7.

6. Loftus jC, Smith ML, Seeley TD, Martin Sj. How Honey Bee Colonies Survive in the Wild: Testing the Importance of Small Nests and Frequent Swarming. PLoS ONE 2016; 11(3):e0150362.

7. Types of Hives and Hive Equipment Beesource Beekeeping [cited 2018 Apr 101. Available from: URL: http://beesource.com/resources/usda/types-of-hivesand-hive-equipmenti 8. Cushman D. Ventilation of Beehives, Includes Airflow in Beehives [cited 2019 Nov 8]. Available from: UR],: http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/ventilation.html.

9. Winter Management Bee Culture [cited 21/19 Nov 8]. Available from: URI,: https://WWW.beeculture.com/winter-management/.

10. Cushman D. Stimulative Feeding of I Toney Bees [cited 5/27/2019]. Available from: Li RI http: / Anvw.dave-cus hman. ne bee/ s timulative feeding. h tml.

11. A Quantitative Model of T Toney Bee Colony Population Dynamics: Fig 1.

12. Wedmore EB. A manual of bee-keeping for English-speaking bee-keepers. 2 rev ed. SI: Bee Books New and Old; 1945 (1975). is

Claims

Claims 1. A beehive attachment having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a chamber with extension in length, width and depth dimensions, wherein the extension of the chamber in the length and width dimensions defines an area which is at least large enough to encompass a queen bee, and wherein the chamber is hollow, having a first at least partially open side and a second at least partially open side, the first at least partially open side being a side substantially defined by the length and width of the chamber, and the second at least partially open side being adjacent to the first at least partially open side and defined by the depth the width of the chamber, and wherein the depth of the attachment is less than or equal to 9.5 millimetres and greater than or equal to 4 millimetres.
2. A beehive attachment according to claim 1 comprising a protrusion into the chamber from the side of the chamber opposite the first at least partially open side, and proximate to the second at least partially open side, wherein the length of the protrusion is substantially equal to the depth of the chamber, and wherein the width of the second at least partially open side is at least sufficient for a queen bee to pass through the opening of the second at least partially open side on either side of the protrusion.
3. A beehive attachment according to claim 1 or claim 2 comprising an attachment means for attaching the beehive attachment to an interior side of the wall of a beehive.
4. A beehive attachment according to claim 3 wherein the attachment means comprises at least two attachment protrusions protruding from the outer surface of the beehive attachment, capable of receiving fixing means.
5. A beehive attachment according to any preceding claim made of thermoplastics material.
6. A beehive attachment according to any preceding claim comprising a base plate forming the side defined by the length and the width which is not the First at least partially open side, and a side wall extending substantially perpendicularly from the edge of the base plate on all sides except for the second at least partially open side.
7. A beehive attachment according to any preceding claim formed of a single piece of material.
8. A beehive comprising an entrance hole in a side wall of the beehive, with an entrance attachment according to any one of claims 1 to 7 attached to the interior of the side wall of the beehive such that a portion of the side wall of the beehive comprising the entrance hole covers the first at least partially open side of the beehive attachment chamber.
9. A beehive according to claim 8 comprising a plug member removably fit-able into the entrance hole.
10. A beehive according to claim 9 wherein when the plug member is inserted into the entrance hole, the entrance hole is fully blocked.
11. A beehive according to claim 9 wherein when the plug member is inserted into the entrance hole, the entrance hole is partially blocked.
12. A beehive according to any of claims 8 to 12 wherein the side wall is a side wall of a honey super section of the beehive, perpendicular to the frames within the honey super section of the beehive.
13. A beehive according to any of claims 8 to 12 wherein the side wall is a side wall of a brood box section of the beehive.