JPH0530618Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to providing a plastic tube as a tube nest for Mameko bees to be used as a pollination medium for fruit trees, etc.

[Conventional technology] Pollination by Mameko bees has already been used in apple cultivation. However, its widespread use is still low and its use remains limited to a supplementary means for manual pollination.

Although it is known that it has an effective pollination function, the main reason why its use is limited is the difficulty of breeding and management. Above all, it uses traditional tsutsusu made mainly from naturally grown Ashigaya. In other words, the Mameko bee is a special type of bee that has a cylindrical nest nesting habit and does not have the power to build a cylindrical nest on its own and does not lead a social life. Therefore, it has a habit of using natural materials, such as the straw roofs of farmers, huts, etc. They have a history of nesting in wheat straw, reeds, bamboo, etc., which have been used for breeding, and natural materials that require breeding and management have been targeted. However, it is a well-known fact that in recent years it has become difficult to obtain such materials, and it has also become extremely difficult to obtain uniform quality.

In particular, uniformity of quality is an extremely important selection technique when carrying out breeding management, but it is important to select items that are not broken, have an appropriate diameter, have an appropriate length, are straight, are not tied, etc. In some cases, the yield is extremely poor, with the rate of obtaining satisfactory nests being as low as 10%.

Such a yield results in the use of unsatisfactory products that are labor-intensive and costly, which ultimately causes a decline in the reproductive rate of bees.

On the other hand, in order to compensate for this, more tube nests than necessary are installed, which adds to the increase in costs.

However, it is said that human pollination has already reached its limit, and the industry is eager to use flower-visiting insects, such as the Mameko bee, and attempts are being made to consider alternative materials such as naturally produced Ash Gaya.

For example, there are those that use a so-called paper tube wrapped with paper in a spiral shape as a tube nest, and the so-called straw that is made of wax paper wrapped in a spiral shape, but for the former, several dozen tubes are used to seal one end. It is expensive because it is fixed in a box-like cardboard box with urethane foam. The process of splitting the tube to remove the cocoons for exterminating mites requires a wall thickness of 1 to 2 mm, which makes it impossible to break the tube and forcing the removal of mites to be halted, and due to rain and snow. It has disadvantages such as water supply, which promotes the development of parasites and significantly lowers the survival rate.

By the way, there is a case study in which the survival rate of bees would drop to about 1/2 if the hive was used again the following year without extermination of mites, making it impossible to put it into practical use. On the other hand, since the latter type of straw has a helical shape with a partially wrapped surface, the above-mentioned operation for exterminating mites is easy by holding one side and pulling it off, but manufacturing requires advanced technology and expensive machinery. Since it is hardly produced in Japan and has to be imported, it is expensive. Furthermore, since it is a simple straw, it has a complicated structure in which a bag-shaped groove is cut into a wooden board to close one end, the straw is inserted into the groove, and a wooden lid is attached, making it extremely expensive. Moreover, the expensive straw itself is a one-time cut, so it is a big financial burden, and if you add a wooden case, the capacity increases accordingly, and the whole hive has the disadvantage of requiring a fairly large size, so this is not practical. It has not yet become a reality.

[Problem to be solved by the invention] The object of the invention is to provide a tube nest made of plastic tube that solves the problems of the conventional method.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The gist of the present invention is to obtain a tube made of thermoplastic plastic by extrusion and stretch molding to make it easy to split vertically, and to create a tube nest for Mameko bees, which is cut into a predetermined length.

[Function] This invention has an inner diameter of 5 to 9 mm, which is necessary for nesting of Mameko bees.
It is completely different from conventional tubes, in which an extruded and stretch-molded tube of thermoplastic plastic is cut into 15 to 30 cm lengths and one end is sealed or inserted into a box-like structure that functions as a separately prepared sealing wall.

In other words, since it is a continuous extrusion molded product of plastic, it has a uniform diameter, the length can be controlled arbitrarily, it has excellent straightness, it is highly hygienic, it can be colored as desired, and it does not absorb water. Moreover, it has the characteristic that it can be easily split vertically.

In other words, it has excellent quality stability and is economical in that it can be supplied at an extremely low price, and also has the advantage of being easily split vertically for purposes such as extermination of mites. Such plastics do not have water absorption, are easy to mold, are suitable for stretching, have excellent durability, do not bleed additives that have a negative effect on the breeding of Mameko bees, and do not generate strange odors disliked by Mameko bees. It is desirable to use plastics that are inexpensive and do not emit toxic gases that harm the environment when the used barrels are incinerated, but polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. are most suitable.

Warp tearability can be easily obtained by increasing the take-off speed compared to the extrusion speed during normal extrusion processing.

In this case, the overall diameter becomes smaller, so it is necessary to use soybeans that take this into account. The vertical tearability referred to here means that when the tip of the tube is pressed, the circular cross section becomes linear and the force is removed, at least 1
It is sufficient that the eyebrow can be torn vertically to the extent that ~2 vertical tears can be confirmed; if the tear is more brittle than this, the workability will be degraded, and if no tear occurs during the above-mentioned operation investigation, it will be extremely difficult to remove the eyebrows.

Such longitudinal tearability depends on the crystal orientation of the plastic,
Although there are many practical examples of this being due to molecular orientation, it is generally referred to as the stretching ratio. Expressing the present invention using such a stretching ratio is difficult because it involves complicated factors such as plastic type and molecular structure.
Blending incompatible plastics or fillers can also provide better stretch tearability, but it can be said that a stretch ratio of at least 2 to 10 times is desirable. The tube inner diameter should be limited to 5-9 mm. Bees will not nest no matter how big or small it is. The wall thickness of the tube may be any thickness, but from the viewpoint of economy, workability, durability, etc., it is better to have a thickness of 0.1 to 0.5 mm. The length of the tube is preferably 15 to 30 mm. This has been confirmed from practical examples of naturally produced Ashigaya. Bees tend to prefer the color of the tubes to nest in them if they are similar to those of Ashigaya, but this is not a determining factor. Rather, it is necessary to devise ways to mix things of various colors or to create a design that gives a certain suggestion. In other words, since the nest openings are all uniform in quality, it can be confusing to determine whether the birds have returned to the nest.

On the other hand, by making them colorless, it is possible to check the spawning status, but in this case, it is easier to nest if they are shaded from light.

On the other hand, the seal at one end may be filled with wet clay, wet paper, wax, etc., or may be covered with a cap-like material. Another good method is to press it against the back wall of a separate box-like object and seal it.

Such a cylindrical nest is installed at a height of 1 to 2 meters above the ground so that it is horizontal to the ground, but it only needs to be inserted into a case that opens laterally, similar to the currently used Ashigaya.

If the same amount of cylindrical nests according to the present invention are provided as in the case of Ashigaya, it can be stored in 1/2 to 1/3 of the volume of Ashigaya.

[Effects of the invention] The tube nest made of the plastic stretched tube of the invention can be easily torn vertically, the cocoon can be easily taken out, there is no water absorption from rain or snow, it is hygienic, the quality is uniform, and it is inexpensive. It is very practical as it requires less storage space.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a cylindrical nest according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a sectional view of a nest filled with clay to seal one end of the cylindrical nest according to the present invention, and Figure 3 is a cap instead of the clay in Figure 2. Figure 4 is an illustration of the cylindrical nest being torn apart, and the shaded area shows the bee's cocoon. Figure 5 shows the tube nest of the present invention inserted into the closed case at the back.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A cylindrical nest for Mameko bees that is made of extrusion and stretch-molded thermoplastic plastic and has an inner diameter of 5 to 9 mm and can be torn vertically.