RU2104638C1 - Beehive frame - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: apiculture. SUBSTANCE: beehive frame has carcass and cellular net positioned within mid section of carcass. Cells are formed as isosceles triangles oriented in alternation to upper plank of carcass by apexes and bases, with triangle side length being equal to space between parallel faces of natural honeycomb cell. One side of each triangle of net is positioned in parallel with upper plank of carcass. EFFECT: increased efficiency, simplified construction and enhanced reliability in operation. 4 dwg

Description

 The present invention relates to the field of beekeeping and is intended for use as an element of a bee hive.

 The design of the beehive framework is known, in which the mediastinum of the future honeycomb structure is made in the form of artificial wax reinforced with a grid with hexagonal cells [1]. Such a mediastinum (artificial wax) is produced by continuous formation by rolling the initial reinforcing mesh into a flat wax tape, followed by applying cellular corrugations.

 The advantage of this frame design is the high strength of the future honeycomb structure. The disadvantage is the fundamental impossibility of obtaining a natural profile of the mediastinum, since the hexagonal cells of the reinforcing mesh cannot be embedded in the mediastinum of the correct shape without volumetric deformation.

 Also known is the design of the frame of the bee hive, in which a grid with hexagonal cells is stretched, forming a frame for the subsequent detuning of honeycombs by bees [2] - a prototype. The disadvantage of this design is the impossibility of bees to form a mediastinum of a regular shape, since flat reinforcement with hexagonal cells does not fit into a mediastinum of a regular shape. A bee cannot build up the mediastinum symmetrically relative to the plane of such a grid, since the average section of the natural mediastinum has a different profile from the hexagonal one.

 The aim of the present invention is the creation by bees of the opportunity to build a honeycomb structure of a regular (natural) shape on a reinforcing mesh.

 The essence of the invention lies in the fact that the reinforcing mesh is formed by the same trihedral cells in the form of equilateral triangles, alternately oriented with the vertices and bases to the upper bar of the frame, and the size of the sides of the triangles is chosen equal to the step of the cell (bee) cells (5.4 mm), and one of sides parallel to the upper bar of the frame.

 With this design, the edges of the reinforcement cells after the honeycombs are detuned by bees lie in the bottom edges of the mediastinum and connect the bottom corners of the cells.

 In FIG. 1 and 2 depict a General view of the frame with a reinforcing mesh (in projections); in FIG. Figures 3 and 4 show the location of honeycomb cells on a reinforcing mesh (in projections).

 The frame is arranged as follows. A reinforcing mesh 2 is placed in the mid-section of the collapsible frame 1 (FIGS. 1 and 2) of usual sizes for hives. The mesh 2 is made of stainless wire, which forms cells in the form of alternating equilateral triangles, with the sides of the cells being chosen equal to the steps of honeycombs (5.4 mm). The grid cells are oriented so that one of the sides is parallel to the upper bar of the frame 1.

 The nodes of the grid are fixed against displacement by welding.

 The mesh can also be made of another material, for example, polymer threads.

 After assembling the mesh 2 with the frame 1, a thin layer of wax can be applied to the mesh (by spraying, watering, dipping, etc.) for better perception of the mesh by bees.

 When a new frame is installed in the beehive, the bees using the reinforcing mesh as a frame have the opportunity to build honeycombs with the correct mediastinum 3 shape (Figs. 3 and 4), since the trihedral cells of the mesh 2 naturally fit into the bottom edges of the mediastinum (rhombuses) as their diagonals .

 In FIG. 4 dotted hatching identifies two conjugate cells with vertices 4 and 5, separated by a mediastinum 3. It can be seen that the intersection of the three bottom faces, which are known to be the regular trihedral pyramid, with the grid plane 2 forms for the conjugated cells a figure in the form of two equilateral triangles, folded bases, which exactly matches the configuration of the reinforcing mesh.

Significant differences of the proposed design of the bee hive framework are that:
the reinforcing mesh is made with equilateral triangular cells with alternating orientation;
one of the sides of the mesh cells is parallel to the upper bracket of the frame;
the grid pitch is chosen equal to the pitch of natural bee cells.

 The consistency of the artificial honeycomb frame with the natural configuration of the mediastinum allows the beekeeper to control the bee detuning of honeycombs without using wax, which removes many of the problems associated with its acquisition and maintenance of hives.

Literature
1. V.A. Golovin. A method of manufacturing artificial wax V.A. Golovin. Auth. testimonial. USSR N 612667 class. A 01 K 47/04, Bulletin N 24, 1978

 2. A.K. Imenirekov, F.A. Fugitive. Artificial wax. Auth test. USSR N 612666, class A 01 K 47/04, Bulletin N 24, 1978

Claims (1)

 A beehive frame, consisting of a frame and a mesh placed in its mid section, characterized in that the mesh cells are made in the form of equilateral triangles, alternately oriented with vertices and bases to the upper frame of the frame with the side of the triangle equal to the distance between the parallel faces of the natural cell, while one of the sides of each triangle of the grid is parallel to the upper bar of the frame.

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