AU2013101747A6 - Storage Devices for Bees - Google Patents

Abstract

There is disclosed a storage unit for a bee colony comprising a base unit adapted to be positioned on a ground structure. The base unit having a inlet means formed therein for facilitating entry and exit of bees from the unit. At least one box is mountable on the base unit. The or each box comprises at least one pair of end walls mountable between at least one pair of side walls so as to define an internal space into which the bees are to be contained. A lid member is mountable to an uppermost box so as to substantially seal the internal space. The lid member has a plurality of vents formed therein to facilitate ingress and/or egress of air into the internal space. The end walls of each box has an internal surface configured to support a plurality of frame members therebetween so as to extend across the internal space to provide a surface for supporting the bees.

Description

1 STORAGE DEVICES FOR BEES RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims priority from earlier filed Australian 5 provisional Patent Application No. 2012902834 filed on 3 July 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates generally to beekeeping and in particular, to a beehive construction for the handling and housing of bees. 10 BACKGROUND ART Insects such as bees, generally form hives or homes in which they live and raise their young in colonies. Hives may take a variety of forms and may be man-made or natural and generally comprise an enclosed space in which the colony of bees can set up their home. For feral or natural bee colonies, a hive 15 may be set up in a tree hole or cavity of a house, whilst for domesticated honey bees, specifically designated boxes or hives have been developed for this purpose. The practice of beekeeping or apiculture has existed since ancient times. The practice typically involves the management of colonies of bees to produce and 20 harvest honey, wax, and other such products, as well as to assist in pollination of plants and other flora, for agricultural purposes. Fundamental to this practice is the ability to obtain easy access to the honey and related products as well as to have access to the bees to assess the colony for its health and to carry out general husbandry tasks, such as introducing queens, manipulating 25 the brood and the like. In many countries, there is often a need to constantly move the hives to new nectar and pollen sources at varying times of the year in order to obtain best results in honey production as well as hive health. Whilst beekeeping in its various forms has existed over many years, it has only been over the last hundred or so years since beekeepers have adopted 30 purpose made boxes or houses in which to maintain their hives. Prior to this, beekeepers had utilised natural occurring hives to house the bee colonies and as such, the practice of harvesting the honey and other related products typically involved the destruction of the hive in the process. In recent times, boxes have been developed to house the colonies with the houses typically 2 including removable frames to enable beekeepers to access the honey related products without causing destruction of the hive. Perhaps the most common and widely used hive box is referred to as a Langstroth hive box. Such a box was designed in 1851 by Reverend Lorenzo 5 Langstroth of Philadelphia, USA and comprised a body or box that contained removable frames for the bees to build their comb upon. A Langstroth hive box has proven very successful in hive management and has gained widespread use in general apiculture. With such a box, it has been possible to remove the frames without overly upsetting or enraging the bees 10 and enabled the creation of a space between combs and other parts of the hive environment to give bees' appropriate room to work to produce honey. In essence the Langstroth box provides bees with protection from the elements and is designed to maintain proper spacing between frames and the sides of the box to provide maximum safety and production efficiency. In this regard, 15 bees typically draw out wax "honeycomb" to raise young and to store pollen and honey. If a hive is constructed with large spaces between frames, the bees will typically fill the space with a brace or burr comb, which is undesirable. Similarly, if there is a smaller space between frames, this will prevent the bees from building combs properly and will cause damage to the bees when the 20 beekeeper attempts to lift the frames from the box. Thus, it is important to ensure that there is generally an 8-10 mm gap between frames and between the frames and the walls of the box to ensure that there is sufficient room for the bees to efficiently work. Whilst the Langstroth hive box has proven effective in providing a safe and 25 efficient home for managing bee colonies, the box also has a number of drawbacks. Typically, such a box is made from wood and is prone to rotting and degradation when exposed to the elements. This can significantly reduce the working life of the box and can cause warping of the structure which can produce inefficient spacing between the elements of the box and reduce 30 production efficiency of the hive. Thus, there is a need to provide a box structure that has improved weathering characteristics and shape retention and which is modular in configuration to provide improved transportability. There is also a need to provide a box device that can be used with existing traditional wooden components. 35 The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of 3 common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the above prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is 5 but one part. STATEMENT OF INVENTION Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention there is provided a storage device for a bee colony comprising: a base unit adapted to be positioned on a ground structure, the base unit 10 having a inlet means formed therein for facilitating entry and exit of bees from the unit; at least one box mountable on said base unit, each box comprising at least one pair of end walls mountable between at least one pair of side walls so as to define an internal space into which the bees are to be contained; and 15 a lid member mountable to an uppermost box so as to substantially seal said internal space; the lid member having a plurality of vents formed therein to facilitate ingress and/or egress of air into the internal space; wherein, each of the end walls of each box structure has an internal surface configured to support a plurality of frame members therebetween so as to 20 extend across said internal space to provide a surface for supporting the bees. In a second aspect, there is provided a storage device for a bee colony comprising: a base unit adapted to be positioned on a ground structure, the base unit having a inlet means formed therein for facilitating entry and exit of bees from 25 the unit; at least one box mountable on said base unit, each box comprising at least one pair of end walls mountable between at least one pair of side walls so as to define an internal space into which the bees are to be contained; and a lid member mountable to an uppermost box so as to substantially seal said 30 internal space; the lid member having a plurality of vents formed therein to facilitate ingress and/or egress of air into the internal space; wherein, each of the end walls of each box has an internal surface configured to directly receive and support a plurality of frame members therebetween so as to extend across said internal space to provide a surface for supporting the 4 bees. The device may be configured such that it can be used with conventional wooden beekeeping components. In one embodiment, each of the end walls and side walls of the at least one 5 box are configured to interengage with each other for assembly. The end walls and side walls of each box may fit together to form the internal space, which is substantially rectangular in vertical cross-section. A recess may be formed adjacent an upper portion of each end wall to facilitate mounting of the plurality of frame members within the internal space 10 thereof. A closure member may be mountable to the base unit to facilitate selective opening and closing of the inlet means to control the entry and exit of bees into the unit. The closure member may be pivotally mounted to base unit and may be movable between a first position whereby the closure member extends 15 across the inlet means to prevent entry and exit of bees from the unit and a second position whereby the closure member is located remote from the inlet means to permit entry/exit of bees from the unit via inlet means. Each of the base unit, box and lid member may be detachable. Each of the base unit, lid member and end walls and side walls of the box may 20 have a substantially smooth inner surface that defines the internal space of the device into which the bees are accommodated. Each box when assembled may comprise an upper edge formed by an upper edge of the pair of side walls and pair of end walls and a lower edge formed by a lower edge of the pair of side walls and pair of end walls, the upper edge 25 of the assembled box may be configured to receive a lower edge of a vertically adjacent box to support the vertically adjacent box thereabove. Each of the base unit, box and lid member may be made from a plastic material. The plastic material may be a talc reinforced homo/copolymer polypropylene blend compound. 3o According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multiple storey storage device for a bee colony comprising: a base unit adapted to be positioned on a ground structure, the base unit having a inlet means formed therein for facilitating entry and exit of bees from the unit; 5 a plurality of boxes mounted on the base unit, each box comprising at least one pair of end walls mountable between at least one pair of side walls so as to define an internal space into which the bees are to be contained and each box being configured to support a vertically 5 disposed neighbouring box thereon so as to form a vertical stack of boxes, such that the internal spaces of each box cooperates to form a common internal space into which the bees are to be contained; and a lid member mountable to the uppermost box in the vertical stack of boxes so as to substantially seal said common internal space; the lid 10 member having a plurality of vents formed therein to facilitate ingress and/or egress of air into the internal space; wherein, the end walls of each box structure has an internal surface configured to support a plurality of frame members therebetween so as to extend across said internal space to provide a surface for supporting 15 the bees. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of preferred embodiments, in which: 20 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hive construction in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a hive construction in accordance with the present invention; Figure 3 is a top perspective view of a base unit of a hive construction 25 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a closure member for use with the base unit of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a front view of an embodiment of a side wall member of a hive construction of Figures 1 and 2; 30 Figure 6 is a front perspective view of the side wall member of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a front perspective view of an embodiment of an end wall member of a hive construction of Figures 1 and 2; 6 Figure 8 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a lid member of a hive construction of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 9 is a bottom perspective view of an embodiment of a lid member of a hive construction of Figures 1 and 2; 5 Figure 10 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the hive structure of Figure 1 in an assembled form. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Preferred features of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be 10 understood that the features illustrated in and described with reference to the drawings are not to be construed as limiting on the scope of the invention. The present invention will be described below in relation to the use of the device as a stand-alone box. However, it will be appreciated that the box or the present invention may be used in association with a conventional wooden 15 Langstroth-type box and may be used with conventional wooden frames and the like and still fall within the spirit of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, a box 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The box 10 generally comprises a base 12, upon which are supported a pair of opposing end walls 14 and opposing side walls 20 16. The end walls 14 and sidewalls 16 extend substantially vertically from the base 12 to define a substantially rectangular box having an open top, upon which a lid member 18 can be positioned to form a bee hive 20. In the arrangement as shown in Figure 1, the bee hive 20 comprises a single box 10, whilst in the embodiment as shown in Figure 2, the bee hive 20 comprises 25 three boxes 10 stacked on top of each other. In the embodiment of Figure 2, the boxes 10 merely comprise the end walls 14 and the side walls 16 positioned in a vertically stacked arrangement with a single base 12 supporting the arrangement and a single lid member 18 sealing the upper box 10. It will be appreciated that the number of boxes 10 stacked 30 to form a bee hive 20 may vary and still fall within the spirit of the present invention. The base unit 12 is shown in isolation in Figure 3. The base unit 12 generally comprises a body having an upper and a lower surface. A pair of end feet 24 are provided on a lower surface at opposing ends of the base unit 12 and are 35 shaped so as to be positioned on a substantially horizontal ground or support 7 surface, to support the bee hive thereon. The end feet 24 extend substantially across an end of the base unit 12, although other configurations of the end feet 24 are also envisaged. The end feet 24 function to support the upper surface of the base unit 12 above a ground surface as shown. In this regard, the upper 5 surface of the base unit 12 has a substantially planar surface 21 provided thereon. The planar surface 21 is recessed below the upper surface of the base unit 12 by way of a ridge or wall member 22 that extends about the periphery of the base unit 12. At one end of the base unit 12 there is provided a slot 23 that extends laterally at least partially across the base unit 12, in a manner as 10 shown. A mounting hole 25 is located adjacent one end of the slot 23 to provide a means for securing a closure member 26 to the base unit 12, so as to provide a means for selectively opening and closing the slot 23. An embodiment of a closure member 26 is shown in Figure 4. The closure member 26 comprises an elongate body having a handle portion 28 formed at 15 one end and a mounting pin 27 formed at the other end. The overall length of the closure member 26 is sufficient to close the slot when in a closed position such that the body of the closure member 26 extends across the slot 23. The mounting pin 27 is configured to be received within the mounting hole 25 formed in the base unit 12 by way on an interference fit or the like. When the 20 mounting pin 27 is inserted into the mounting hole 25, the closure member 26 is able to pivot about this point of connection to enable the closure member to be moved between a closed position where it extends across the slot 23 and an open position where the closure member 26 is located remote from the slot. The purpose of the closure member 26 will be discussed in more detail below. 25 An embodiment of a side wall 16 is shown in isolation in Figures 5 and 6. The side wall 16 comprises a substantially planar member having an outer surface 30 and an inner surface 31. At each end of the side wall 16, the outer surface 30 extends further than the inner surface 31 thus defining a stepped region 34 that extends the height of the side wall 16. A pair of slots 32 are formed 30 through the stepped region 34 at each end of the side wall 16. The slots 32 are vertically spaced from each other and extend parallel to the height of the side wall 16. The slots 32 are configured to receive a male member formed in the end walls to 14, as will be discussed in more detail below. Fastener holes 33 are also formed in the stepped region 34 of the side wall 16 as shown to 35 further facilitate secure connection of the sidewalls 16 with the end walls 14. An embodiment of end wall 14 is shown in Figure 7. The end wall 14 has an 8 outer surface 40 and an inner surface 41. The inner surface 41 represents a substantially smooth surface whilst the outer surface 40 has a handle portion 42 formed therein. The handle portion 42 is in the form of a recessed portion formed in the outer surface 41 that enables a user to place their fingers within 5 the handle portion to grip the end walls at either end to facilitate transport of an assembled box 10. The end wall 14 has a side wings 43 formed at opposing sides of the end wall 14. The side wings 43 extend a distance from the outer surface 40 beyond the inner surface 41 of the end wall and have a pair of male members 44 10 projecting orthogonally therefrom. As mentioned above, the male members 44 are located along the side wings and spaces so as to be received within the slots 32 provided in the side walls 16 when the end walls 14 and the side walls 16 are brought together for assembly. When the end walls 14 and side walls 16 are positioned such that the male 15 members 44 of the end walls 14 are received within the slots 32 of the side walls 16, the box 10 can be formed. Fasteners, such as screws or the like, can then be located in the fastener holes 33 of the side walls 16 such that the side walls 16 and the end walls 14 can be secured together in a sturdy manner. Such fasteners will pass through the fastener holes 33 of the side walls 16 and 20 into the side wings 43 of the end walls 14. It will be appreciated that other fastener members, such as rivets, nails and the like may also be employed. By assembling the side walls 16 and end walls 14 together in a manner as described above, each of the boxes 10 can be readily assembled for use. Due to the nature of the assembly, boxes 10 can be assembled without the lid 25 member 18 and base 12 and stacked on top of each other to provide multiple level hives 20. Alternatively, single boxes 10 can be readily assembled, as required. To complete the hive 20, lid member 18 is provided to fit over the upper ends of the uppermost side walls 16 and end walls 14 of the assembly, whether the 3o assembly consist of a single box or multiple vertically stacked boxes. An embodiment of a lid member 18 is shown in Figures 8 and 9. To provide a sealed roof to the box 10, the lid member 18 snugly fits over the top of the side walls 16 and end walls 14 of the box. The underside 50 of the lid member 18 is shown in Figure 9 and comprises an internal "pitched roof' 35 type structure. To facilitate air intake into the hive 20, a pair of vents 52 are provided at opposing ends of the lid member 18. The vents 52 comprise a 9 plurality of holes that provide an air flow path through side walls 53 of the lid member 18. The external surface 51 of the lid member 18 can be seen more clearly in Figure 8. The vents 52 are provided on the external surface 51 along vertical 5 side walls thereof and are recessed from the surface of the lid member to prevent water and the like entering the hive 20 during use. Such an arrangement enables the hive 20 to be able to be used in a variety of weather conditions to ensure that the bees are able to obtain air flow through the box structure 10 without fear of water and other liquids flowing into the hive and 10 threatening the health of the hive Referring to Figure 10, there is shown a cross-sectional view of a hive 20, such as that shown in Figure 1. The hive 20 comprises a single box 10 having lid member 18 mounted thereto. When the side walls 16 and end walls 14 are mounted in such an arrangement a groove 62 is formed at the upper region of 15 the end walls 14 to facilitate mounting of a frame member 60 thereto. A plurality of frame members 60 can be mounted within the box structure 10 between the end walls 14 in this manner with the spacing between frame members 60 controlled to ensure the spacing is at a desired distance to facilitate ideal comb formation. 20 In such an arrangement bees enter the hive 20 by way of the slot 23 formed in the base unit 12. By moving the closure member 26 to the open position, bees are free to enter and leave the hive as required. In the event that the hive is to be moved and transported to another area, the beekeeper can simply pivot the closure member 26 such that the slot 23 is covered by the closure member, 25 thus enabling the hive 20 to be transported to a desired location with the bees present therein. As is shown in Fig. 10, the internal surfaces of the components of the box all present a smooth and flat surface to the bee colony. It will be appreciated that as the components of the hive 20 are made from a plastic material, such as a polypropylene blend compound, and the various 30 components can be made to high tolerances and can be made to be resistant to deformation and degradation despite exposure to the elements. As the components are manufactured to fit together in a modular manner, the components can be delivered in a flat-packed form for assembly, and new hives can be simply erected by assembling the parts together. The 35 components are configured such that they can be readily used with existing wooden parts as desired.

10 Thus, it will be appreciated that the hive construction of the present invention offers significant advantages over existing hive constructions by offering modularity in construction and simplicity in assembling the parts together. Throughout the specification and claims the word "comprise" and its 5 derivatives are intended to have an inclusive rather than exclusive meaning unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise. That is, the word "comprise" and its derivatives will be taken to indicate the inclusion of not only the listed components, steps or features that it directly references, but also other components, steps or features not specifically listed, 1o unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made to the methods of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Orientational terms used in the specification and claims such as vertical, 15 horizontal, top, bottom, upper and lower are to be interpreted as relational and are based on the premise that the component, item, article, apparatus, device or instrument will usually be considered in a particular orientation, typically with the hive device uppermost.

Claims (14)

1. A storage device for a bee colony comprising: a base unit adapted to be positioned on a ground structure, the base unit having a inlet means formed therein for facilitating entry and exit of 5 bees from the unit; at least one box mountable on said base unit, each box comprising at least one pair of end walls mountable between at least one pair of side walls so as to define an internal space into which the bees are to be contained; and 10 a lid member mountable to an uppermost box so as to substantially seal said internal space; the lid member having a plurality of vents formed therein to facilitate ingress and/or egress of air into the internal space; wherein, each of the end walls of each box has an internal surface configured to support a plurality of frame members therebetween so as 15 to extend across said internal space to provide a surface for supporting the bees.

2. A storage device for a bee colony comprising: a base unit adapted to be positioned on a ground structure, the base unit having a inlet means formed therein for facilitating entry and exit of 20 bees from the unit; at least one box mountable on said base unit, each box comprising at least one pair of end walls mountable between at least one pair of side walls so as to define an internal space into which the bees are to be contained; and 25 a lid member mountable to an uppermost box so as to substantially seal said internal space; the lid member having a plurality of vents formed therein to facilitate ingress and/or egress of air into the internal space; wherein, each of the end walls of each box has an internal surface configured to directly receive and support a plurality of frame members 30 therebetween so as to extend across said internal space to provide a surface for supporting the bees.

3. A storage device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the device is configured such that it can be used with conventional wooden beekeeping components. 35

4. A storage device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein 12 each of the end walls and side walls of the at least one box are configured to interengage with each other for assembly.

5. A storage device according to claim 4, wherein the end walls and side walls of each box fit together to form the internal space, which is 5 substantially rectangular in vertical cross-section.

6. A storage device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a recess is formed adjacent an upper portion of each end wall to facilitate mounting of the plurality of frame members within the internal space thereof. 10

7. A storage device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a closure member is mountable to the base unit to facilitate selective opening and closing of the inlet means to control the entry and exit of bees into the unit.

8. A storage device according to claim 7, wherein the closure member is 15 pivotally mounted to base unit and is movable between a first position whereby the closure member extends across the inlet means to prevent entry and exit of bees from the unit and a second position whereby the closure member is located remote from the inlet means to permit entry/exit of bees from the unit via inlet means. 20

9. A storage device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the base unit, box and lid member are detachable.

10. A storage device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the base unit, lid member and end walls and side walls of the box have a substantially smooth inner surface that defines the internal 25 space of the device into which the bees are accommodated.

11. A storage device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each box when assembled comprises an upper edge formed by an upper edge of the pair of side walls and pair of end walls and a lower edge formed by a lower edge of the pair of side walls and pair of end walls, 30 the upper edge of the assembled box being configured to receive a lower edge of a vertically adjacent box to support the vertically adjacent box thereabove.

12. A storage device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the base unit, box and lid member are made from a plastic 35 material.

13. A storage device according to claim 12, wherein the plastic material is a 13 talc reinforced homo/copolymer polypropylene blend compound.

14. A multiple storey storage device for a bee colony comprising: a base unit adapted to be positioned on a ground structure, the base unit having a inlet means formed therein for facilitating entry and exit of 5 bees from the unit; a plurality of boxes mounted on the base unit, each box comprising at least one pair of end walls mountable between at least one pair of side walls so as to define an internal space into which the bees are to be contained and each box being configured to support a vertically 10 disposed neighbouring box thereon so as to form a vertical stack of boxes, such that the internal spaces of each box cooperates to form a common internal space into which the bees are to be contained; and a lid member mountable to the uppermost box in the vertical stack of boxes so as to substantially seal said common internal space; the lid 15 member having a plurality of vents formed therein to facilitate ingress and/or egress of air into the internal space; wherein, each of the end walls of each box structure has an internal surface configured to support a plurality of frame members therebetween so as to extend across said internal space to provide a 20 surface for supporting the bees.