RU2075931C1 - Method and apparatus for exposing bees to electromagnetic field - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: apiculture. SUBSTANCE: method involves using magnetodomain film as magnetic field source, which promotes bee's activity during yield of honey. Apparatus has working members made from magnetodomain film and having different geometric configuration and shield, which are positioned within beehive or special bee keeping containers. EFFECT: increased efficiency, simplified method and apparatus and improved quality of honey. 8 cl, 3 dwg

Description

 Bees are known to be magnetically active. In the anterior third of the bee’s abdomen there is a magnetic receptor, which is a cell line in each abdominal segment containing a large number of granules enriched with iron. These granules vary in shape and size from 0.5 to 1.0 μm and consist mainly of iron hydroxide, known as the biosynthetic precursor of magnetite (See. "Biogenic magnetite and magnetoreception. New in biomagnetism" edited by J. Kirshvik and D. Johnson, M. Mir, 1989, v. 1, p. 147 145).

 These cells are connected to the central nervous system. With the help of a multifunctional magnetoreceptor, a bee can determine and use, at least for orienting the direction of magnetic fields, sometimes smaller in magnitude than geomagnetic ones.

 In addition, the informative behavior of the bee (horizontal dances, orientation and length of the influence path, etc.) depends on the ratio of the orientation of the magnetic moments of the bee receptor and the direction of the geomagnetic fields.

 It was established that the geomagnetic field does not have a noticeable effect on bees. Bees also get used to electromagnetic fields (EMF) of artificial origin. Therefore, to date, a pulsed magnetic field (IMF) created by powering an electromagnet coil by current pulses or periodically pushing a single magnet onto a biological object has been used to noticeably affect them.

 Thus, there is a known method for changing the average duration of a bee dance by creating a pulsed field by pushing a strong magnet towards the landing site (Tomlinkin et all. "Magnets curtail noneybel dancing" Anim. Behav. 29, 307, 1981).

 This method and device for its implementation is used mainly for research purposes, because strong magnetic fields disorient bees and disrupt the normal functional activity of insects.

 Recently, there has been great interest in work on the impact on biological objects, in particular insects, of constant static magnetic fields created by permanent magnets fed by a current of one direction.

 For example, a method is known for influencing bees during the construction of honeycombs by means of a constant magnetic field (PMF) created by Ruben coils embedded in the housing (Lindanev et Martin Z. Vgl Physiol 60, 219 243, 1968; Y. Comp. Physiol. 122, 145 187, 1977).

 Ruben's coils made it possible to use the horizontal component of the PMF, which influenced the biogenic rhythms of the bees and led to the fact that the bees built irregular cells of a conical shape.

 However, the magnetic field strength was 10 or more times higher than the geomagnetic field strength, which adversely affects the state of the bees. In addition, the work was purely scientific in nature, because the practical need for the construction of cells of this shape has not been proven.

 A device is known for exposing bees to a constant magnetic field (PMF) in order to increase the productivity of the bee colonies and prevent their morbidity, fixed in a notch with flying gap equipment between the lower surface of the magnet and the flight board (AS USSR N 1304793, publ. 04.29.87 )

 This device consists of two elements made of soft magnetic steel (medical magnet) or ferrite barium plates each 5x10x50 mm in size, laid in the case with the south pole to its bottom. The device is installed for the entire season.

 The disadvantage of this device is the heterogeneity of the magnetic field (MP) and the significant size of the device. First of all, it causes stress, i.e. it repels bees and makes it impossible to integrate it into the hive. Due to the heterogeneity of the MP, the bees receive an uneven dose of radiation. In addition, the magnetic parameters of the device do not vary in a wide range, which does not allow you to quickly adapt it to weather changes and magnetic storms acting on the behavior of the insect.

 The authors of the claimed invention unexpectedly found a significant effect on the physiological state of bees in weakened magnetic fields created by a single-crystal magnetodomain film. Such films, made, for example, of ferritic garnet, are widely used at present in the manufacture of computer storage devices.

 The surface of a magnetodomain film induces a magnetic scattering field (MFR).

 The nature of the change in the constant scattering magnetic field depends on the magnetic parameters of the film.

 In the course of experimental and theoretical work, the authors found that the magnetic films of ferrite garnet (MPFG) have a long-range effect, i.e. the action of an MPFG of a certain type extends to a distance much higher than the height of the boundary layer, by 15 20 cm or more.

Depending on the magnetic parameters of the MPFG, the magnetization values at long-range distances of 1 • 10 ³ 1 • 10 ⁴ exceeding the height of the border zone range from 0.05 • 10 ³ A / m to 1 - 2 • 10 ³ A / m.

 A number of devices are claimed that make it possible to use the developed method for exposing bees to the magnetic field of a magnetodomain film. First of all, the device itself is claimed for influencing a bee with a magnetic field, which is a combination of 3 elements: a substrate, a film coating (one-sided or two-sided), an ordered domain structure, and a screen. The shape of magnetodomain elements (a substrate with a film) can be very diverse: in the form of disks, polyhedra, bands of various sizes.

 Screens, if necessary, can be located directly in front of the magnetic film (films, in the case of two-sided coating) so that the distance between them and the surface of the MPFG does not exceed 2 mm (less than the maximum thickness of the bee).

 Screens, depending on the purpose of the device’s impact on the bee, can be transparent, translucent, opaque. As transparent screens use plates made of quartz, polystyrene or glass.

 As translucent screens, the previous types of screens are used, in which the side facing the bees is polished (coarse and fine grinding).

 As opaque screens use screens made of natural materials: wood plates, thick wool felt or artificial materials based on polyurethane, fluoroplastic, etc.

 In addition to single-element devices, group connections of elements on the same substrate can be used. In this case, magnetodomain elements with films differing in magnetic parameters can be used.

 The design of a hive equipped with at least one magnetodomain element described above is also claimed. Such an element can be installed, in particular in the zone of the corridor between the frames and / or in front of the flight slot inside the hive, or in one embodiment of the invention on the surface of the notch, in another embodiment, on the outside of the roof.

 Another claimed object is a special container for keeping bees, equipped with at least one magneto-domain element, made as described above.

The inventive method and device can provide various practical results, in particular:
increase productivity and reduce the incidence of the bee family;
conducting express selection of bees using magneto-domain elements installed in the container;
reduction in bee mortality due to magnetoprophylaxis and treatment;
reduction of honey consumption for the life support of bees in the autumn-winter period.

In FIG. 1 shows a magnetodomain element;
in FIG. 2 varieties of geometric shapes for the implementation of substrates of magneto-domain elements and the elements themselves;
in FIG. 3 container for bees with a magneto-domain element installed in it.

 As shown in FIG. 1, the magneto-domain element has a substrate 1, on which the magneto-domain film 2 and the screen 3 are applied. The fastening of each element in the hive (to the wall, to the bottom, to the lid) can be carried out in the simplest way, for example by gluing or using adhesive tape. The shape of the element is determined by the shape of the substrate and can be, as shown in FIG. 2, the most diverse round, triangular, square, rectangular or in the form of an irregular polyhedron. If necessary, the individual elements can be grouped with each other in packages, while achieving the required area and configuration of such a package, depending on the purpose of exposure of the bees to the magnetic field of the film.

 Example 1

 Based on the phenomenon established by the authors, which consists in a sharp decrease in the bees' mobility when exposed to them using a shielded element based on a magneto-domain film of ferrite garnet while maintaining their main functions (the ability to eat food, sting, etc.), cellular packages for sending bees by mail.

 In the control experiment used a regular honeycomb plywood bag with ventilation holes, frames and food (honey).

 In a test bag, a square shape magneto-domain element of 20x20x0.8 mm in size was glued to the inner surface of the side wall together with a screen insulating it from bees and made of thin cardboard (0.5 0.7 mm) as shown in FIG.

 The screen in plan is a square equal in area to the element, with four grips 4 enveloping the element. On the outside, the grips are glued to the side wall of the honeycomb bag. The element has a one-sided magnetic coating (film).

 In the control and experimental packages were laid 2 kg of bees (medium swarm) with the uterus.

 Both packages were kept at room temperature for 5 days (shipping conditions).

 After the simulated “shipment”, the weight of dead bees was calculated, the state of the bees after shipment during the first day was recorded, and the feed was weighed together with frames.

 The number of dead bees in the control package was 50 g (2.5%).

 The number of dead bees in the experimental package was 20 g (1.0%). In this case, the state of the bees detected during the day in the control package is characterized by a significant deterioration. This is the so-called “steaming” of bees, caused by the high temperature in the bag, which under normal conditions in the hive of the bees is reduced by intensive movements of the wings.

 On the first day, the death of control bees was observed. The number of dead bees by weight on the first day was an additional 120 g.

 Bees from the experimental package gained mobility within 2 hours. At the same time, 20 g of bees died on the first day.

 In the control package, the stored feed was completely eaten within 5 days. In the experimental package, 50% of the feed was eaten, which was then used by the same family when transplanting it to the hive.

 The numbers given in the example are averaged after five repetitions of model “shipments”.

 Example 2

 Three magneto-domain elements measuring 20x20 mm were reinforced directly at the bottom inside the hive in front of the flight gap. A screen made of wood veneer corresponding to the size of the element was used as a screen.

 The control hive was set from the experimental hive at a distance of 3 m. The size of the bee colonies in both hives was 800 g by weight.

 When pumping honey after the season, the collection on the control hive was 10 kg, on the hive equipped with a device consisting of magneto-domain elements, the collection was 14.5 kg. The productivity of the bee family when using the hive made according to the present invention is 1.4 to 1.5 times higher than the productivity of the bee family under normal conditions.

 Example 3

 The use of magneto-domain elements complete with a container and lighting devices.

 The use of this device is carried out for the prevention of bee colonies in the autumn-winter period and immediately in early spring before departure.

 The container for exposure to bees using the magnetodomain element built into it (Fig. 3) consists of a plastic pallet 5 and a transparent cover 6. At the bottom of the pallet, grooves 7 are made in the form of a truncated cone with a depth of 4.5 mm and a cone base width of 2.5 mm . The distance between the grooves is 2 4 mm. The grooves are used to fix magnetodomain films 8 and screens 9. The grooves are made evenly around the bottom of the container.

 The top of the transparent cover 6 has through slots 10 located exactly above the grooves in the bottom of the pallet. The slots in the covers serve as ventilation holes and are used to extract the magnetic element and screen, if necessary, using tweezers with special tips or using a vacuum grip.

The dimensions of the container depend on the number of processed bees with an experimentally selected volume rate per bee of 70 100 cm ³ . Smaller values of specific volume reduce the effectiveness of the effect, and its increase leads to an uneven effect on the bees.

 At both ends of the container, holes for loading bees 11 with tightly closing valves 12 are mounted.

 The described container was used to conduct experiments with the study of the results of exposure of bees to magnetodomain elements. In one experiment, treated bees were used for apitherapy.

 A prefabricated element was installed in the container, representing a group connection of square magneto-domain elements with a size of 20x20 mm with a total side of a square of 40 mm with a screen of opaque polyurethane foam.

 Stinging a person with bees was carried out during fifteen sessions of apitherapy in the back and hands so that the sting places were far apart. Apitherapy sessions were carried out every other day.

 Control bees and bees that were exposed to magneto-domain elements before stinging were kept in identical containers of 20 pieces each for 40 minutes. A prefabricated element with a screen, described above, was installed in the experimental container.

 Stinging by control bees was carried out in the back to the right of the spine and in the right hand, stinging by bees under the influence of fields induced by magneto-domain elements was carried out in the left hand and in the back to the left of the spine at the level of the same vertebra.

 Sting sites were compared by pain (the nature of skin hyperemia around the sting site) and the effectiveness of treatment.

 When stinged with control bees, hyperemia had the appearance of a roller, and its width was 3–4 mm.

 When stinging with magnetized bees, the “roller” was practically absent, and hyperemia was less pronounced, but it looked like a “comet”.

 Despite the fact that stinging with bees kept in a container with magnetodomain elements was somewhat more painful, the treatment efficiency was significantly higher, which allows reducing the number of apitherapy sessions by 1.5–2 times.

Claims (8)

 1. The method of exposure to bees with a magnetic field, characterized in that a single crystal magnetodomain film is used as a magnetic field source.  2. Device for influencing bees with a magnetic field, including a magnetic field source located on a substrate, characterized in that the magnetic field source is made in the form of a magnetic film of ferrite grenades mounted on a substrate, and is equipped with a screen that is made of various magnetically and translucent materials and installed in front of a magnetic field source.  3. The device according to p. 2, characterized in that the magnetic film of ferrite garnets is placed on both sides of the substrate, made in the form of various geometric shapes.  4. A hive comprising a housing with a lid, a bottom and a notch with an arrival board and a magnetic field source located on one of the hive elements, characterized in that the hive is provided with at least one magnetic field source made in the form of a magnetic film of ferrites with a screen placed on the backing.  5. The hive according to claim 4, characterized in that the magnetic field source is installed inside the hive body.  6. The hive according to claim 4, characterized in that the source of the magnetic field is installed on the notch of the hive.  7. The hive according to claim 4, characterized in that the magnetic field source is located on the outer surface of the hive cover.  8. A container for keeping bees, including longitudinal and transverse walls, a lid with slots and a bottom, characterized in that the transverse walls have openings with valves, along the entire inner surface of the bottom there are longitudinal grooves with a cross section in the shape of a truncated cone, in which magnetic films of ferrites on a substrate with screens, the cover is made of translucent material with through longitudinal slots in an amount equal to the number of longitudinal grooves of the bottom, and located on them.

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