Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
  • A01K51/00—Appliances for treating beehives or parts thereof, e.g. for cleaning or disinfecting

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the field of apiculture, and, in particular, to a method and an apparatus for the treatment of a hive, i.e. the whole of a colony of bees and the relative hive that contains it.
• varroa disease Varroa destructor
• the American and European plague the nosema disease (Nosema Apis)
• the small hive beetle Aethine tumida
• the mite diseases Acarapis woodi
• the sacbrood the amoebiasis
• the mycosis the lice bees (Braula coeca)
• the wax moth and others.
• Such diseases or parasites can affect the colony with a variable degree of seriousness, resulting in a reduction of the overall vitality of the colony until, in the most serious cases, its complete extinction.
• the environment in which the colony lives is per se characterized by a high presence of biological contaminants, such as bacteria, viruses, moulds, fungi, yeast, etc., which, although they are not able to endanger the health of the colony, they decrease its vitality/activity.
• biological contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, moulds, fungi, yeast, etc.
• the production of a colony of bees is determined by several factors, among which the health and vitality of the colony of bees play a crucial role.
• formic acid or oxalic acid are used inter alia.
• ozone is widely used for sanitizing or deodorizing the environment or waters, or for sterilizing instruments or also in the food industry for preserving fruit, vegetables, meats, fishes, cereals , etc. or for cheese aging.
• Such uses are made possible in virtue of the high oxidizing power of ozone, which is able to degrade and eliminate the pollutants or harmful elements such as viruses, mites, insects, spores, moulds, harmful chemicals, and also smoke and odours, in a totally natural way.
• ozone is an unstable gas, when released into the air in a few minutes it turns into oxygen, without leaving any traces or chemical residues, and without leaving any unpleasant odours.
• ozone precisely for its oxidizing power, is a highly poisonous gas for living beings, already at relatively low concentrations, and also for short exposure times.
• the invention relates to a method of treatment of a hive comprising a colony of bees within a hive, the method comprising:
• the invention in a second aspect, relates to an apparatus of treatment of a hive comprising a colony of bees within a hive, the apparatus comprising:
• an ozone generator for generating an ozone flow
• At least one blowing device having a first input adapted to be connected to said ozone generator to receive said ozone flow, a second input and an outlet mouth, and comprising blowing means to draw air from said second input, to disperse said ozone flow in said drawn air, and to emit from said outlet mouth an air flow having a flow rate greater than or equal to about 2 m 3 /h, preferably greater than or equal to about 3 m 3 /h, in which said ozone flow is dispersed.
• the forced introduction of ozone dispersed inside an air flow having a minimum volumetric flow rate equal to about 2 m 3 /h allows to obtain a substantially homogeneous concentration of ozone inside the hive, in such a way that all the areas of the hive substantially undergo the same effects by ozone.
• such air flow distributes the ozone in a substantially homogeneous manner throughout the free volume inside the hive, as the air flow, tending to come out of all the interstices of the hive, which are well distributed on its peripheral surface, carries the ozone in all the available internal volume.
• the ozone transport from the point of blowing to the peripheral areas with respect to such point of blowing takes place in a sufficiently short time so that the ozone does not degrade completely before reaching such peripheral areas.
• the applicant has found that, on the contrary, when the ozone is introduced in the hive dispersed in a reduced air flow, i.e. below about 2 m 3 /h, it tends to 'stagnate' in a confined area (also because the ozone is heavier than air) until its complete degradation, on the one hand producing a too high concentration of ozone in such confined area (with a potential toxicity for to bees), on the other hand, leaving the remaining hive portions without sufficient ozone and/or with a too low ozone exposure time.
• the applicant also experimentally verified that, beyond the control/prevention/elimination of one or more diseases afflicting bees, the above method and apparatus have the additional effect of increasing the strength and vitality of the colony of bees. For example as a result of autumn treatments, it has been found the presence of broods until the month of January. Such effect could be due to the sanitation of the environment inside the hive (e.g. bacterial load reduction) which increases its overall healthiness with benefits for the overall health of the bees and, thus, for their production.
• hive e.g. bacterial load reduction
• the degree of the present drafts depends on the blowing mode of the air flow (for example on the number of points of blowing and/or on their cross section, on the fact that the blowing takes place with a complete or partial blockage or without blockage of the hive entrance door), etc.
• the applicant has verified that the external and/or internal temperature of the hive is a major factor, since the greater the reaction rate and ozone degradation, the higher the temperature. Therefore, for equal flow rate of said air flow and amount of ozone dispersed therein, the applicant has experimentally verified that the ozone concentration obtained in the hive in a midsummer day, with a temperature of 30°C, is significantly less than the concentration obtained in a winter day, with a temperature close to 0°C.
• the invention contemplates the blowing of an air flow composed of two or more partial air flows separate from each other and/or blown in distinct positions of the hive, each of said partial flows having dispersed therein a respective partial amount of ozone, where the minimum total flow rate of such partial flows is in accordance with what is described herein with reference to the flow rate of the air flow.
• Preferably said amount of ozone is such that the ozone concentration in at least one point inside the hive is greater than or equal to about 3 ppm, more preferably greater than or equal to 5 ppm, and/or less than or equal to 30 ppm, more preferably less than or equal to 20 ppm, for a time greater than or equal to about 3 minutes, more preferably greater than or equal to
• said flow rate of said air flow is less than or equal to about 20 m 3 /h, more preferably less than or equal to 15 m 3 /h.
• a too high flow rate of the air flow besides disturbing the bees too much, is prevented to cause an air exchange inside the hive resulting in an excessive ozone evacuation to the external environment prior to its reaction.
• said amount of ozone dispersed in said air flow corresponds to an ozone flow dispersed in said air flow having a flow rate greater than or equal to 1 g/h and/or less than or equal 4 g/h, more preferably less than or equal to 3 g/h.
• the applicant has found that such flow rate of ozone flow dispersed in said air flow results in an adequate internal ozone concentration for optimum flow rate of such air flow.
• ozone concentration inside the hive via the ozone introduction with flow rates lower than 1 g/l or greater than 4 g/h with respect to several factors that influence the administration dynamics, such as the flow rate of the air flow, the free internal volume of the hive, the external and/or internal temperature of the hive, etc.
• the air flow and the ozone dispersed in it are introduced from the bottom of the internal volume of the hive and move towards the most internal part of the hive with a limited emission at the inlet slot.
• said ozone generator is adapted to generate an ozone flow having a flow rate greater than or equal to 1 g/h and/or less than or equal to 4 g/h, more preferably less than or equal to 3 g/h.
• said ozone generator is adapted to generate a carrier air flow in which said generated ozone flow is dispersed, said carrier air flow having a flow rate greater than or equal to 0.2 m 3 /h, more preferably greater than or equal to 0.4 m 3 /h, and/or less than or equal to 1 m 3 /h.
• said ozone flow is generated and handled easily for the purpose of the treatment.
• said carrier air flow in which said ozone flow is dispersed is received at said first input of the blowing device.
• said outlet mouth of the blowing device has a height of less than or equal to 4 mm. This will prevent the bees from entering the blowing device.
• the said outlet mouth of the blowing device has a width greater than or equal to 10 cm. This partially block the inlet slot of the beehive and the air flow is advantageously widened.
• said blowing device is separate and distinct from said ozone generator. In this way, blowing is easier and it is also possible to connect more blowing devices to a single ozone generator.
• the blowing device is electrically connected to the ozone generator for receiving power from this latter.
• the apparatus comprises a small tube, preferably flexible, arranged to connect said ozone generator with said first input.
• said small tube has a length less than or equal to 2 m, more preferably less than or equal to 1 .5 m. This limits the amount of ozone that degrades before reaching the blowing device.
• said blowing means are adapted to aspirate from said second input an amount of air greater than or equal to 2 m 3 /h, more preferably greater than or equal to 3 m 3 /h, and/or less than or equal to about 15 m 3 /h, more preferably less than or equal to 10 m 3 /h. In this way, the said air flow with the ozone dispersed is easily generated.
• said treatment comprises the sanitization of an internal environment of the hive, for example, the reduction of its bacterial load.
• said treatment comprises the treatment of varroa disease and/or of the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) and/or of the nosema disease.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a hive treatment apparatus according to the present invention
• FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a blowing device according to the present invention.
• Figure 1 shows a treatment apparatus 1 of a hive comprising a colony of bees within a hive 20, this latter not further described as known per se.
• the apparatus comprises an ozone generator 2 adapted to generate an ozone flow and at least one blowing device 3.
• the ozone generator will not be further described as known per se.
• the blowing device is separate and distinct from the ozone generator: however, the present invention also contemplates the case in which they are a whole.
• the blowing device is electrically connected, for example by an electric cable 12, to the ozone generator to receive power from this latter.
• the blowing device has a first input 4 connected to the ozone generator, for example via a small tube 5, to receive the generated ozone flow, a second inlet 6 and an outlet mouth 7.
• the outlet mouth has a height h equal to about 4 mm and a width L equal to about 10 cm.
• the outlet mouth is provided with a network or grid to prevent the access of bees in the device.
• the blowing device comprises blowing means 8 adapted to draw air from the second inlet 6, to disperse (in an internal chamber of the blowing device) the ozone flow in the drawn air, and to emit an air flow in which the ozone flow is dispersed.
• the ozone generator is adapted to generate a carrier air flow in which an ozone flow is dispersed, having having a flow rate greater than or equal to 1 g/h and less than or equal to 3 g/h, where the carrier air flow has flow rate greater than or equal to 0.2 m 3 /h and less than or equal to 1 m 3 /h.
• the blowing means 8 are able to aspire from the second inlet an amount of air greater than or equal to 2 m 3 /h, more preferably greater than or equal to 3 m 3 /h, and/or less than or equal to about 15 m 3 /h, more preferably less than or equal to 10 m 3 /h.
• the method of treatment of the present invention may be realized by means of the treatment apparatus 1 .
• Such apparatus 1 is advantageously portable and is typically powered by electricity as symbolically indicated by the electrical socket cable 1 1 , which is typically connected to a portable electric generator.
• the operator connects one or, preferably, more blowing devices 3 to the ozone generator and inserts the respective outlet mouth 7 in the inlet slot of the respective hive.
• a remaining part of the inlet slot is occluded (except for a few centimetres to prevent bees from feeling the complete closure) so as to limit the ozone emission from the point of blowing.
• the ozone generator 2 In use, the ozone generator 2 generates and blows into the small tube 5 a carrier air flow in which an ozone flow is dispersed, the whole being received at the first input 4 of the blowing device.
• the blowing means 8 aspire from the second inlet 6 an amount of air, they mix it with the carrier air flow and emit to the outlet mouth 7 a resulting air flow in which the ozone flow is dispersed.
• the carrier air flow has a flow rate equal to 0.6 m 3 /h.
• blowing means 8 aspire from the second inlet an amount of air equal to 7 m 3 /h, so that the flow rate of the resulting air flow is equal to 7.6 m 3 /h.
• Exemplarily the ozone flow generated and dispersed in the carrier air flow and, subsequently, in the resulting air flow is equal to 2 g/h (neglecting the small ozone percentage which degrades in the range that goes from generation to the blowing in the hive).
• the treatment apparatus 1 has been used as exemplarily described above on three hives, each treatment being performed for a blowing time equal to 10 minutes, with a flow rate of the resulting air flow equal to 7.6 m 3 /h in which an ozone flow equal to 2 g/h is dispersed.
• the resulting ozone concentration inside the beehive was equal to 10 ppm.
• the table shows the number of varroa examples found.
• ozone succeeded in penetrating the opercula that seals the brood cells and in suppressing the immature varroa on the pupae or on the bee larvae.
• the treatment apparatus 1 has been used as exemplarily described above on a hive with a flow rate of the resulting air flow equal to 7.6 m 3 /h in which an ozone flow equal to 2 g/h is dispersed.
• the table shows the duration of treatment and the number of varroa examples found.
• the detected data denote the effectiveness of the treatment in controlling varroa.

Landscapes

• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Husbandry (AREA)
• Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
• Catching Or Destruction (AREA)
• Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)
• Agricultural Chemicals And Associated Chemicals (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=53189930

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Families Citing this family (3)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2016
  • 2016-03-21 EP EP16721932.8A patent/EP3273774A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2016-03-21 WO PCT/IB2016/051568 patent/WO2016151468A1/en active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events