WO2014106726A1 - Bee gym - Google Patents

Bee gym Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2014106726A1
WO2014106726A1 PCT/GB2013/000558 GB2013000558W WO2014106726A1 WO 2014106726 A1 WO2014106726 A1 WO 2014106726A1 GB 2013000558 W GB2013000558 W GB 2013000558W WO 2014106726 A1 WO2014106726 A1 WO 2014106726A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
bees
mites
bee
beehive
gym
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB2013/000558
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Stuart Roweth
Original Assignee
Stuart Roweth
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 Stuart Roweth filed Critical Stuart Roweth
Publication of WO2014106726A1 publication Critical patent/WO2014106726A1/en

Links

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
    • A01K47/00—Beehives
    • A01K47/06—Other details of beehives, e.g. ventilating devices, entrances to hives, guards, partitions or bee escapes
    • 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 invention relates to a device, which facilitates the removal of Varroa mites and other parasites from honey bees.
  • the device allows bees to detach the mites themselves by rubbing against specially designed scrapers and blades, which dislodge the mites from the bee's body.
  • Varroa destructor is a parasitic mite, which attaches itself to honey bees and their larvae, in order to suck the blood in the bee's circulatory system called the hemolymph.
  • the mites are able to transfer themselves from one bee to another within the hive. They are also passed on from one colony to another, on the bodies of worker bees or drones, when a worker bee mixes with bees from another colony or when drones enter a different hive. This often happens if bees from one colony are robbing another hive, drift into the wrong hive, or if beekeepers merge colonies together.
  • the Varroa mite carries several viruses in its body, which are transmitted to bees through its blood-sucking habit. Mites are an important factor in the phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder (CCD).
  • CCD colony collapse disorder
  • the main advantage of the Bee Gym is that bees are enabled to remove their own mites, which helps to control the Varroa population size without intervention from the beekeeper. This mite removal can take place 24 hours a day, all year round. The process isn't limited to a particular season, and doesn't rely upon the bees coming and going from the hive.
  • this invention is designed to help bees remove the mites themselves, by providing a range of shaped scrapers and blades, with which the bees can dislodge the mites from their bodies.
  • Honey bees are highly organised creatures and readily adopt beneficial habits when it comes to gathering foods and defending their colonies. When they become aware of the presence of Varroa mites, they make great efforts to remove them. If the invention is present in a hive, many bees start using it for mite removal and this activity will hopefully become a hygienic habit.
  • the bees should end up more resilient to mite invasion and in time they could pass on their self-grooming habits to other bees in the colony. Positioning the Bee Gym within the beehive confers several advantages.
  • the device itself has a longer life expectancy indoors and any equipment which beekeepers might want to attach to the entrance of their hives, such as pollen traps or mouse guards, could still be used.
  • the invention remains in the hive all year round, requiring only minimal attention.
  • Existing inventions involve_removing_mites from the backs of bees, but Varroa mites are more frequently found underneath a bee's body, tucked into the overlapping platelets on the underside of a bee's abdomen.
  • the Bee Gym uses single or double filament scrapers, which can easily be negotiated by the incoming bee without scraping off any pollen. The main body of the Bee Gym is accessed voluntarily, so the bees elect to use it or not. They might first deposit the pollen they are carrying before using the equipment.
  • Drawing 1 shows the invention in a plan view without reference to a beehive. Numbers used to refer to certain components of the invention are consistent throughout all four drawings.
  • Drawing 2 shows a side view of the invention, in cross-section without reference to a beehive.
  • Drawing 3 shows a side view of the invention in cross-section.
  • the Bee Gym When fitted into the entrance level of a typical beehive, the Bee Gym rests on the floor of the beehive.
  • Drawing 4 ( Figure 1 ) shows a close-up view of some of the spikes and scrapers on one of the side-bar structures.
  • Figure 2 shows a cross-section through a side-bar, which illustrates the shape of one of the scrapers.
  • the invention is used within a beehive, on the entrance level. It can be inserted into a hive through the entrance aperture, or supplied ready installed with a new beehive.
  • the key components of the invention are: the entrance blade (1 ), the sidebars (3), which form the structure of the invention and, along with the horizontal struts (4), give the framework rigidity.
  • the scrapers (6) and spikes (7) protruding upwards from the side-bars, are used by the bees to dislodge Varroa mites and other parasites.
  • Parallel support wires (5) and taut flexible blades (8) stretch between the side-bars (3).
  • Location pins (10) slot into the open mesh floor (9) of the beehive holding the invention in position.
  • the entrance blade On entering the hive, bees pass over the entrance blade (1 ), which protrudes upwards from the floor. It is made of a taut flexible material, such as plastic, thin metal or silicone. This gives bees a chance to scrape off mites when they are entering or leaving the hive, rather than making a special visit to the main part of the Bee Gym.
  • the entrance blade itself can be detached from the rest of the invention if it's not needed.
  • the entrance blade is a low horizontal ceiling (2), which encourages the bees to pass over the entrance blade, rather than missing it out and moving straight up onto the honeycombs (1 1 ) above.
  • the low ceiling can also be detached from the main body of the Bee Gym.
  • Varroa mites usually attach themselves to the underside of a bee's abdomen.
  • the scrapers (6) have been designed so that a bee can stand bestride them and detach a mite as the bee moves its body forwards and backwards over the scraper.
  • the single and double filament scrapers in the Bee Gym are particularly suitable for bees when removing the mites from their undersides. This is because the bee needs to target the mite in order to prise it out from under the overlapping platelets on the bee's abdomen.
  • the scraper works like a flexible blade, lifting the mite out from under the platelet where it is clinging on. Bees often spend 15 minutes or more lining themselves up precisely with the scraper in order to remove a mite.
  • a mite which has been detached from a bee, manages to survive and get back on.
  • the Bee Gym employs protruding spikes (7) allowing a bee to injure a mite, so that it will detach itself, drop off the bee and fall through the permeable mesh floor of the hive.
  • the bee stands astride the spike and lowers its abdomen onto the spike, thus injuring the mite clinging to its underside.
  • the horizontal flexible blades (8) are utilized when a bee clings on to the top support wire (5), and rubs its abdomen against the blade (8).
  • Bees often try to remove Varroa mites by hanging vertically from a structure within the hive, such as the bottom of a honey comb, then they use their middle or back legs to dislodge the mites.
  • the Bee Gym facilitates this hygienic behaviour by providing a support wire (5) for the bees to hang from and a thin taut flexible blade (a long version of the single filament scraper (6)), to prise out the mites.
  • foods such as fondant sugar and pollen substitute could be located near to the invention or within hollow cavities in the side-bars (3)
  • the Bee Gym is most effective when used in a beehive with an open mesh floor (9). It can be inserted into an existing beehive, which already has an open mesh floor, or supplied ready fitted in a new beehive.

Landscapes

  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Animal Husbandry (AREA)
  • Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
  • Catching Or Destruction (AREA)

Abstract

A device located within a beehive comprising of a framework from which several scrapers (6), spikes (7) and taut flexible blades (8) protrude. These are utilized by honey bees to dislodge Varroa mites and other parasites. Bees are enabled to remove or damage the mites, which are clinging onto them. The mites then fall from the bees past the framework of the device, through the permeable floor of the beehive itself.

Description

DESCRIPTION
Bee Gym
The invention relates to a device, which facilitates the removal of Varroa mites and other parasites from honey bees. The device allows bees to detach the mites themselves by rubbing against specially designed scrapers and blades, which dislodge the mites from the bee's body.
Varroa destructor is a parasitic mite, which attaches itself to honey bees and their larvae, in order to suck the blood in the bee's circulatory system called the hemolymph. The mites are able to transfer themselves from one bee to another within the hive. They are also passed on from one colony to another, on the bodies of worker bees or drones, when a worker bee mixes with bees from another colony or when drones enter a different hive. This often happens if bees from one colony are robbing another hive, drift into the wrong hive, or if beekeepers merge colonies together.
The Varroa mite carries several viruses in its body, which are transmitted to bees through its blood-sucking habit. Mites are an important factor in the phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder (CCD). The spread of a virus or the gradual weakening of the bees, which are parasitized, leads to the demise of that honey bee colony, unless some form of treatment is carried out.
Several chemical treatments are available to combat Varroa destructor.
However these have disadvantageous side effects, such as deterring the queen from laying eggs and tainting any honey that's in the hive at the time. This means that beekeepers use them sparingly, usually only once or twice a year.
The main advantage of the Bee Gym is that bees are enabled to remove their own mites, which helps to control the Varroa population size without intervention from the beekeeper. This mite removal can take place 24 hours a day, all year round. The process isn't limited to a particular season, and doesn't rely upon the bees coming and going from the hive.
To reduce the effects of Varroa destructor this invention is designed to help bees remove the mites themselves, by providing a range of shaped scrapers and blades, with which the bees can dislodge the mites from their bodies.
Honey bees are highly organised creatures and readily adopt beneficial habits when it comes to gathering foods and defending their colonies. When they become aware of the presence of Varroa mites, they make great efforts to remove them. If the invention is present in a hive, many bees start using it for mite removal and this activity will hopefully become a hygienic habit.
Using mechanical means to assist the bees could reduce a beekeeper's need to use chemical treatments. The bees should end up more resilient to mite invasion and in time they could pass on their self-grooming habits to other bees in the colony. Positioning the Bee Gym within the beehive confers several advantages. The device itself has a longer life expectancy indoors and any equipment which beekeepers might want to attach to the entrance of their hives, such as pollen traps or mouse guards, could still be used. The invention remains in the hive all year round, requiring only minimal attention.
Existing inventions involve_removing_mites from the backs of bees, but Varroa mites are more frequently found underneath a bee's body, tucked into the overlapping platelets on the underside of a bee's abdomen. An invention having multiple filaments (a brush for instance), protruding upwards inside the beehive entrance, would also brush off any pollen the bees were carrying. This would be disastrous for the younger bees, for which pollen is a vital food source. The Bee Gym uses single or double filament scrapers, which can easily be negotiated by the incoming bee without scraping off any pollen. The main body of the Bee Gym is accessed voluntarily, so the bees elect to use it or not. They might first deposit the pollen they are carrying before using the equipment.
Examples of the invention will now be described by referring to the
accompanying drawings:
Drawing 1 shows the invention in a plan view without reference to a beehive. Numbers used to refer to certain components of the invention are consistent throughout all four drawings.
Drawing 2 shows a side view of the invention, in cross-section without reference to a beehive.
Drawing 3 shows a side view of the invention in cross-section. When fitted into the entrance level of a typical beehive, the Bee Gym rests on the floor of the beehive.
Drawing 4 (Figure 1 ) shows a close-up view of some of the spikes and scrapers on one of the side-bar structures. Figure 2 shows a cross-section through a side-bar, which illustrates the shape of one of the scrapers.
The invention is used within a beehive, on the entrance level. It can be inserted into a hive through the entrance aperture, or supplied ready installed with a new beehive.
The key components of the invention are: the entrance blade (1 ), the sidebars (3), which form the structure of the invention and, along with the horizontal struts (4), give the framework rigidity. The scrapers (6) and spikes (7) protruding upwards from the side-bars, are used by the bees to dislodge Varroa mites and other parasites. Parallel support wires (5) and taut flexible blades (8) stretch between the side-bars (3). Location pins (10) slot into the open mesh floor (9) of the beehive holding the invention in position.
On entering the hive, bees pass over the entrance blade (1 ), which protrudes upwards from the floor. It is made of a taut flexible material, such as plastic, thin metal or silicone. This gives bees a chance to scrape off mites when they are entering or leaving the hive, rather than making a special visit to the main part of the Bee Gym. The entrance blade itself can be detached from the rest of the invention if it's not needed.
Above the entrance blade is a low horizontal ceiling (2), which encourages the bees to pass over the entrance blade, rather than missing it out and moving straight up onto the honeycombs (1 1 ) above. The low ceiling can also be detached from the main body of the Bee Gym.
Situated near to the entrance blade is the main body of the Bee Gym. This sits on the permeable mesh floor (9) of the beehive, underneath the frames of honeycomb (1 1 ), where the bees live and work. Bees carrying Varroa mites drop down onto this part of the invention and use the various scrapers, spikes and flexible blades to scrape the mites off themselves.
Varroa mites usually attach themselves to the underside of a bee's abdomen. The scrapers (6) have been designed so that a bee can stand bestride them and detach a mite as the bee moves its body forwards and backwards over the scraper.
The single and double filament scrapers in the Bee Gym are particularly suitable for bees when removing the mites from their undersides. This is because the bee needs to target the mite in order to prise it out from under the overlapping platelets on the bee's abdomen. The scraper works like a flexible blade, lifting the mite out from under the platelet where it is clinging on. Bees often spend 15 minutes or more lining themselves up precisely with the scraper in order to remove a mite.
In many instances a mite, which has been detached from a bee, manages to survive and get back on. The Bee Gym employs protruding spikes (7) allowing a bee to injure a mite, so that it will detach itself, drop off the bee and fall through the permeable mesh floor of the hive. The bee stands astride the spike and lowers its abdomen onto the spike, thus injuring the mite clinging to its underside.
The horizontal flexible blades (8) are utilized when a bee clings on to the top support wire (5), and rubs its abdomen against the blade (8). Bees often try to remove Varroa mites by hanging vertically from a structure within the hive, such as the bottom of a honey comb, then they use their middle or back legs to dislodge the mites. The Bee Gym facilitates this hygienic behaviour by providing a support wire (5) for the bees to hang from and a thin taut flexible blade (a long version of the single filament scraper (6)), to prise out the mites. Mites detached from the bees drop through the permeable floor of the beehive, the mites are usually unable to climb back into the hive, especially if the hive is on a stand. In order to encourage bees to visit the Bee Gym, foods such as fondant sugar and pollen substitute could be located near to the invention or within hollow cavities in the side-bars (3)
The Bee Gym is most effective when used in a beehive with an open mesh floor (9). It can be inserted into an existing beehive, which already has an open mesh floor, or supplied ready fitted in a new beehive.

Claims

1. A device comprising of a framework from which several scrapers, spikes and taut flexible blades protrude, these are used by honey bees to remove Varroa mites and other parasites.
2. A device featuring small upright protruding scrapers with which bees can dislodge mites from their bodies.
3. A device featuring one or more spikes with which bees can injure and thereby dislodge Varroa mites.
4. A device featuring one or more horizontal flexible blades with which bees can dislodge mites.
5. A device, which may have hollow parts in its structure, which could be filled with a substance to encourage bees to visit.
6. A device, which can be inserted through the entrance of an existing beehive or incorporated into a new beehive.
7. A device as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Confirmation coi
PCT/GB2013/000558 2013-01-03 2013-12-19 Bee gym WO2014106726A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1300039.3 2013-01-03
GB1300039.3A GB2504791B (en) 2013-01-03 2013-01-03 Bee gym

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2014106726A1 true WO2014106726A1 (en) 2014-07-10

Family

ID=47747907

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/GB2013/000558 WO2014106726A1 (en) 2013-01-03 2013-12-19 Bee gym

Country Status (2)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2504791B (en)
WO (1) WO2014106726A1 (en)

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3350728A (en) * 1965-08-16 1967-11-07 Viotti E Root Combined pollen collector and entrance restriction for bee hives
US4435867A (en) * 1982-04-19 1984-03-13 Jeong Tae S Device for gathering the pollen from a bee
FR2608369A1 (en) * 1986-12-17 1988-06-24 Schimmenti Pierre Contact diffuser for hives, not involving interruption of the natural life cycle
FR2660157A1 (en) * 1990-03-27 1991-10-04 Percic Stanislas Box for diffusing insecticide in beehives
US20080280528A1 (en) * 2007-05-08 2008-11-13 Karen Ann Wassmer Varroa mites control entrance (VMCE)

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
SU936854A1 (en) * 1979-04-04 1982-06-23 за витель Ю. А. Остудин Device for mechanical cleaning of bees
SU1291104A2 (en) * 1985-04-11 1987-02-23 Egin Nikolaj L Beehive arrangement for cleaning bees from parasites
FI110404B (en) * 2001-10-30 2003-01-31 Urpo Vainio Oy Device for removing and destroying acarids on bees comprises a mirror within the hive to Reflect light from the flight opening and covered with mesh making the bees rush towards the mirror brushing the mites off their bodies
GB2495284A (en) * 2011-09-30 2013-04-10 Stuart Roweth Beehive entrance Varroa mite trap

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3350728A (en) * 1965-08-16 1967-11-07 Viotti E Root Combined pollen collector and entrance restriction for bee hives
US4435867A (en) * 1982-04-19 1984-03-13 Jeong Tae S Device for gathering the pollen from a bee
FR2608369A1 (en) * 1986-12-17 1988-06-24 Schimmenti Pierre Contact diffuser for hives, not involving interruption of the natural life cycle
FR2660157A1 (en) * 1990-03-27 1991-10-04 Percic Stanislas Box for diffusing insecticide in beehives
US20080280528A1 (en) * 2007-05-08 2008-11-13 Karen Ann Wassmer Varroa mites control entrance (VMCE)

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB201300039D0 (en) 2013-02-20
GB2504791B (en) 2015-08-12
GB2504791A (en) 2014-02-12

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
Li Hatching responses of subsocial spitting spiders to predation risk
US20110306272A1 (en) Bottom board for a beehive
Joven et al. Husbandry of Spanish ribbed newts (Pleurodeles waltl)
GÜLER et al. Relationship between dead pupa removal and season and productivity of honey bee (Apis mellifera, Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies
KR101287354B1 (en) The insect honeycomb storehouse for picking of royal jelly
Nitzsche Courtship, mating and agonistic behaviour in Pisaura mirabilis (Clerck, 1757)
Lavery et al. Effect of mate removal on current and subsequent parental care in the convict cichlid (Pisces: Cichlidae)
GB2495284A (en) Beehive entrance Varroa mite trap
CN108575921B (en) Method for removing worker bees of Chinese bees of parasitized Stevensis cocoons in vivo
KR20120129044A (en) Debris flow apparatus equipped with a honeycomb hive
WO2014106726A1 (en) Bee gym
DE202017000059U1 (en) Device for combating Varroa mite in the hive
KR200449253Y1 (en) an insect moving apparatus for bee-keeping
Peck The parasitic mite Varroa destructor: history, biology, monitoring, and management
AU2009238296A1 (en) Pest trap for beehive
KR102380294B1 (en) An attractive monitoring trap with an attractant for poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) in caged layer farms, and the estimation method for poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) parasitism status
CN112741023B (en) Device for catching and killing larva of Apis cerana Fabricius
US20210084868A1 (en) Beehive excluder
RU2692638C2 (en) Method for prevention and treatment of bee viral diseases
SU1547797A1 (en) Method of keeping a bee-family
JP2006290809A (en) Method for exterminating mite parasitic on honeybee and extermination agent
Caron et al. The small hive beetle: A potential pest in honey bee colonies in Oregon
Audenaert et al. The influence of variable temperature and humidity on the predation efficiency of P. persimilis, N. californicus and N. fallacis
Osipitan et al. Stimulation of queen bee rearing in a queenless colony in Kenya Top-Bar hives
Sjögren Englund A destructive host-shift

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 13831965

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: DE

122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase

Ref document number: 13831965

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1