WO1993012650A1 - Nichoir pour insectes sociaux - Google Patents

Nichoir pour insectes sociaux Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1993012650A1
WO1993012650A1 PCT/NL1992/000235 NL9200235W WO9312650A1 WO 1993012650 A1 WO1993012650 A1 WO 1993012650A1 NL 9200235 W NL9200235 W NL 9200235W WO 9312650 A1 WO9312650 A1 WO 9312650A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
nesting box
drink container
reservoir
nesting
spout
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/NL1992/000235
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Frederik Meijer
Hendrik Peter Paul Oosthoek
Antoni Johannes Klumper
Harald Gijsbert Mikkelsen
Original Assignee
Koppert B.V.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Koppert B.V. filed Critical Koppert B.V.
Publication of WO1993012650A1 publication Critical patent/WO1993012650A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; CARE OF BIRDS, FISHES, INSECTS; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K53/00—Feeding or drinking appliances for bees
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; CARE OF BIRDS, FISHES, INSECTS; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K67/00—Rearing or breeding animals, not otherwise provided for; New breeds of animals
    • A01K67/033—Rearing or breeding invertebrates; New breeds of invertebrates

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a nesting box for social insects, such as bumblebees, and a feeding device for use in such a nesting box.
  • Nesting boxes for instance for bumblebees, are en- countered increasingly often in glasshouses.
  • the bumblebees are employed for pollination of for instance tomato plants.
  • a bumblebee provides either self-pollination, as for instance in the case of tomato plants, or cross-pollination.
  • the bumblebees are fed with liquid feed, such as for instance sugared water.
  • the nesting boxes contain one or more drinking bottles.
  • Known drinking bottles consist for instance of a reservoir and a closing base which is provided with a drink ⁇ ing spout.
  • the reservoir is filled while upside down, closed with the base and turned over.
  • an underpres ⁇ sure is created above the liquid in the reservoir.
  • This underpressure prevents the liquid flowing out of the bottle via the drinking spout.
  • an air bubble will rise from time to time through the liquid.
  • the empty space above the liquid thereby becomes larger but the underpressure remains present.
  • the air above the liquid will however expand, whereby the liquid is displaced and a portion thereof will leak out of the drinking bottle.
  • the known bottles are in addition often easily acces- sible to wasps and/or bees, which steal the sugared water from the drinking bottle.
  • the present invention has for its object to provide a nesting box with which the above stated drawbacks are avoi ⁇ ded.
  • a nesting box for social insects such as bumblebees, comprising a nesting chamber, a reservoir for liquid feed, a drink container, supply means connecting the reservoir to the drink container for supplying liquid feed and means for interrupting the feed supply. Because the supply of liquid feed is regulated by means of the interrupting means, leakage is virtually exclu ⁇ ded.
  • the reservoir can be sufficiently large to accommodate in the nesting box from the start the total quantity of sugared water necessary to support a hive for a determined life span.
  • the interrupting means take the form of a body which floats on the feed present in the drink con ⁇ tainer and has a member closing the supply means.
  • the floating body When the liquid level in the drink container falls the floating body will also fall, whereby the supply means are opened. The drink container will then refill until the closing member once again closes off the supply means.
  • the reservoir preferably extends over practically the whole surface of the box. This means in practice that the reservoir lies as it were above the box. Also possibly con ⁇ vavable however is a reservoir below or on the side of the box.
  • the reservoir is preferably a flexible bag which con ⁇ stricts during emptying. When a flexible bag is used the sugared water store will not come into contact with air which prevents spoiling.
  • the reservoir can likewise be a stiff container. Such a stiff container must however be in substan ⁇ tially open communication with the outside air since other ⁇ wise the liquid feed would cease. A small air hole is already adequate for this purpose.
  • the floating body is preferably formed such that the closing member is situated below the surface of the liquid feed present in the drink container. The advantage of such a construction is that substantially no crystallization of sugar on the closing member will take place, thus preventing disturbances in the functioning of the closing member. Adhe- sion between the closing member and the outflow opening will moreover occur less quickly.
  • a drink container is generally provided with a drink ⁇ ing spout.
  • the liquid level in the spout varies because fresh liquid is only supplied when so much liquid has been removed that an air bubble can rise in the bottle via the spout.
  • the spouts have a design such that the insects can enter the spout at least partially with their body when the liquid level is low. The design and dimensioning of the spout are therefore determined by the drinking options of the insects and by the possibility of admitting an air bubble when the liquid level is falling.
  • Such a design has a number of drawbacks. In the first place contamination by the insects can occur, whereby spoiling of the liquid may be caused.
  • the drink container according to the present invention consists preferably of a bowl and a cover and is provided with a drinking spout which is embodied such that the feed is easily accessible to insects but that contaminants such as dirt, excreta or dead larvae cannot get into the sugared water. This latter is of particular importance for maintenance-free nesting boxes according to the invention because the liquid feed is herein not replaced.
  • the drinking spout is closed by a lip- shaped protrusion on the cover, in which protrusion are incorporated narrow slot-like recesses.
  • the lip-shaped protrusion is formed such that practical- ly the whole spout is closed and one or more capillary chan ⁇ nels remain free only along the side walls of the bowl, through which channels the sugared water rises. At the upper outer end of the channels droplets of sugared water form from which the bumblebees can drink. Due to the practically com- plete closure of the spout contamination can substantially no longer occur.
  • the capillary channels further prevent leakage during transport movements. It is likewise conceivable to use the capillary action in other ways, for instance by hanging in a drink container a wire along which the liquid is transported by the capillary action.
  • the floating body is preferably provided on its under- side with at least one protruding portion.
  • the protruding portion prevents the floating body coming to rest with its whole bottom surface on the bottom of the drink container when the reservoir and the drink container are completely empty. Because of the content of the reservoir and the drink container, namely sugared water, the floating body will stick to the bottom of a drink container when it is empty. When only a protruding portion comes into contact with the bottom the floating body will release much more easily from the bottom.
  • figure 1 shows a partly broken away perspective view of a nesting box according to the invention
  • figure 2 shows a partly broken away perspective detail view of a part of a feeding device for use in a nesting box according to the invention
  • figure 3 is a partly broken away perspective detail view of a second embodiment of the drink container.
  • Figure 1 shows a nesting box 1, which consists of a nesting chamber 2 in which is included a breeding location 3. Situated on top of the nesting chamber 2 is a reservoir 4 with sugared water 5. The reservoir 4 is in communication via a hose 6 with a drink container 7. During transport of the nesting box the hose 6 can optionally be closed with a clamp (not shown) . Drink container 7 consists of a cover 8 and a bowl 9. The bowl 9 is provided with a spout 10 extending into the nesting chamber.
  • the nesting box further has a fly-in and fly-out opening 12, closable by means of a slide 11, and air holes 13.
  • the shown reservoir 4 is a flexible bag. The whole unit, that is, nesting chamber with feeding device, is accom ⁇ modated in a box 14.
  • FIG. 2 shows a detail view of the drink container 7.
  • the cover 8 and the bowl 9 which is provided with a spout 10.
  • the cover 8 also closes off the spout 10.
  • the latter is provided with two narrow slot-like drinking openings 15.
  • the design of the drinking openings 15 is such that the bumblebees have easy access to the sugared water, while at the same time contamination of the drink container 7 is prevented. Because the drinking openings 15 are very narrow the liquid level would fall relatively quickly beyond the reach of the bumblebees if continuous supply of sugared water were not to take place.
  • the feeding device according to the present invention is however constructed such that con ⁇ tinuous supply of fresh sugared water takes place.
  • In the bowl 9 is situated a floating body 16.
  • the body 16 derives its buoyancy from an air chamber 17.
  • the floating body 16 further has a closing member 18.
  • the hose 6 debouches into a tubular member 19 which is arranged in the cover of the drink container and which is provided on its underside with an outflow opening 20.
  • the tubular member 19 extends into a circular recessed portion 21 in floating body 16.
  • the circu ⁇ lar recessed portion 21 is in contact via openings 22 with the rest of the drink container 7. Due to this open connec ⁇ tion the level in the circular recessed portion 21 will always be just as high as the level in the rest of the drink container 7.
  • the closing member 18 is hereby always situated beneath the liquid level, whereby crystallization of sugar on the member 18 and/or adhering of the closing member to the outflow opening 20 is prevented.
  • the floating body 16 is provided on its under ⁇ side with at least one protruding portion (not shown) .
  • the protruding portion decreases the contact surface between the bottom of the drink container and the underside of the float ⁇ ing body.
  • Figure 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the drink ⁇ ing spout.
  • a spout 23 is closed by a lip-shaped portion 24 of cover 8.
  • the lip-shaped portion 24 is formed such that capil ⁇ lary channels 25 are formed along the side wall of the drink- ing spout 10.
  • the sugared water is drawn out of the spout 10 of drink container 7 into the channels 25.
  • Formed at the outflow ends 26 of channels 25 due to the capillary action are small droplets from which the bumblebees can drink.
  • the advantage of a drinking spout formed in such manner is, inter alia, that no contaminants such as dirt, excreta and/or dead larvae can get into the sugared water.
  • the present invention therefore provides a mainte ⁇ nance-free nesting box in which is accommodated the total quantity of feed required to support a bumblebee hive for a determined life span. Leakage is practically excluded in a feeding device according to the invention.
  • the design of the drinking spout prevents contamination of the sugared water. It is of course also possible to apply the feeding device according to the invention in combination with nesting boxes other than those described here. It is likewise possible to employ the described drinking spouts in combination with other drink containers respectively drinking bottles.

Abstract

Nichoir pour insectes sociaux, par exemple les bourdons, comportant une chambre de nidification (2) et un dispositif d'alimentation constitué d'un réservoir (4) pour un liquide alimentaire, d'un abreuvoir (7), d'un dispositif d'amenée (6) reliant le réservoir à l'abreuvoir afin d'y introduire le liquide alimentaire, et d'un dispositif permettant d'interrompre l'écoulement du liquide. De préférence, le dispositif interrupteur a la forme d'un corps (18) flottant à la surface du liquide alimentaire présent dans l'abreuvoir, et possédant un élément (20) obturant le dispositif d'amenée. L'abreuvoir (7) peut être pourvu d'un bec (10) possédant au moins une fente étroite (15). En outre, l'abreuvoir (7) peut être constitué d'un couvercle (8) et d'un bol (9), et pourvu d'un bec (23) obturé par un ergot (24) prévu sur le couvercle de sorte qu'au moins une ouverture capillaire soit formée dans la paroi latérale du bec (23). De préférence, le réservoir (4) est un sac souple s'étendant sur quasiment toute la surface du nichoir (1).
PCT/NL1992/000235 1991-12-20 1992-12-21 Nichoir pour insectes sociaux WO1993012650A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
NL9102156A NL9102156A (nl) 1991-12-20 1991-12-20 Nestkast voor sociale insekten.
NL9102156 1991-12-20

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1993012650A1 true WO1993012650A1 (fr) 1993-07-08

Family

ID=19860078

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/NL1992/000235 WO1993012650A1 (fr) 1991-12-20 1992-12-21 Nichoir pour insectes sociaux

Country Status (4)

Country Link
AU (1) AU3368493A (fr)
IL (1) IL104186A0 (fr)
NL (1) NL9102156A (fr)
WO (1) WO1993012650A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0800764A1 (fr) * 1996-04-08 1997-10-15 Cats Inc. Procédé pour l'utilisation des insectes de pollinisation comme des faux-bourdons et casier à température constante pour la réalisation de ce procédé
NL1022292C2 (nl) * 2002-09-04 2003-10-13 Koppert Bv Werkwijze voor het voeden van sociale insecten en voederinrichting voor sociale insecten.

Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0062955A1 (fr) * 1981-04-13 1982-10-20 van Muyden, Willem George Frederik Ruche

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0062955A1 (fr) * 1981-04-13 1982-10-20 van Muyden, Willem George Frederik Ruche

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0800764A1 (fr) * 1996-04-08 1997-10-15 Cats Inc. Procédé pour l'utilisation des insectes de pollinisation comme des faux-bourdons et casier à température constante pour la réalisation de ce procédé
NL1022292C2 (nl) * 2002-09-04 2003-10-13 Koppert Bv Werkwijze voor het voeden van sociale insecten en voederinrichting voor sociale insecten.
WO2004021773A1 (fr) * 2002-09-04 2004-03-18 Koppert B.V. Procede pour nourrir des insectes sociaux et dispositif d'alimentation pour insectes sociaux

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
IL104186A0 (en) 1993-05-13
AU3368493A (en) 1993-07-28
NL9102156A (nl) 1993-07-16

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