WO2019148235A1

WO2019148235A1 - A honeycomb frame and collection system

Info

Publication number: WO2019148235A1
Application number: PCT/AU2019/000012
Authority: WO
Inventors: Seamus Hasson
Original assignee: Seamus Hasson
Priority date: 2018-02-02
Filing date: 2019-02-01
Publication date: 2019-08-08

Abstract

The present invention is a honeycomb frame for use in a bee hive including a rigid flat frame assembly that supports a resiliently deformable sheet, said sheet includes a matrix of primer cells. The matrix of primer cells are arranged in a drone pattern. The primer cells are used by the bees as a cell foundation for the construction within the hive of a honeycomb that is built outwardly from the plane of the resiliently deformable sheet. In another form, the present invention is a roller assembly for use with the honeycomb frame to extract the accumulated honey and wax material from the frame.

Description

A Honeycomb Frame and Collection System

Scope of the Invention

[0001] This invention relates to honeycomb frames for use in bee hives in an apiary, and in particular to a system of removing the honey and wax from the honeycomb frame.

Background of the Invention

[0002] Leptospermum honey and other honeys are not throwing which makes them difficult to extract. This type of honey has to be removed from the comb frame by scrapping or squeezing (compression) action which typically destroys the cells in the comb frame.

[0003] Storing drawn and sticky honeycombs have to be protected from pests such as hive beetles, wax moths and the like. This is typically done using toxic chemicals and refrigeration, or hermetically sealed containers. The use of toxic chemicals entails inherent risk, and refrigeration means or hermetically sealed containers include additional capital outlay and running and maintenance costs.

[0004] When bee hive frames are interchanged between hives, there is a potential risk of spreading disease to the other hives in the apiary. It is possible through careful management to return the correct frame to the correct bee hive, but it is time consuming and impractical in a commercial sized apiary.

[0005] Additionally, some honey customers prefer their honey to be derived from virgin honeycomb. They believe that virgin honeycomb is cleaner. The demand is increasing as the market moves further towards organic and chemical free foods.

[0006] Additionally, honeycomb that has been stored over winter has a higher risk of being contaminated with chemicals, which is another potential problem. [0007] In a commercial setting, the honey supers are removed from the hives, loaded onto trucks, then stored in hot rooms, and extracted offsite, mostly by radial honey extractors. The honey is then stored in a settling tank and shipped to market. All this involves a lot of labour and

transport and handling contamination risks.

[0008] When sticky frames are returned to a hive, or new foundations are added, the bees have to repair and rebuild the cells. This process uses a significant amount of honey at a ratio of about 7 to 1 , and this interrupts honey production

[0009] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a comb frame and associated equipment that ameliorates at least some of the aforementioned problems.

Disclosure of the Invention

[0010] Accordingly, the present invention is a honeycomb frame for use in a bee hive including a rigid flat frame assembly that supports a resiliently deformable sheet, said sheet includes a matrix of primer cells. The matrix of primer cells are arranged in a drone pattern. The primer cells are used by the bees as a cell foundation for the construction within the hive of a honeycomb that is built outwardly from the plane of the resiliently deformable sheet.

[0011] Preferably, the resiliently deformable sheet is bonded to the rigid flat frame

[0012] Preferably, the base of each primer cell within the matrix is substantially on a common plane within the deformable sheet.

[0013] Preferably, the common plane is positioned at or near the plane of the rigid flat frame so that substantially all of the volume of the primer cells, and the honeycomb structure that is built upon each primer cell, by the bees, sit above the common plane of the rigid flat frame.

[0014] Preferably, the honeycomb frame is adapted to be removable from the bee hive and fed through a roller assembly, wherein the rollers are substantially unyielding, and roll atop and across J the rigid flat frame assembly, and their rolling action is sufficient to deform the primer cells and thereby remove the honeycomb and forcibly expel substantially all of the contents of the primer cell.

[0015] Preferably, at least some of the rollers include a helically wound scraper that removes the residual honey from the primer cells, and the scraper the honeycomb and honey to flow more continuously and mitigates the likelihood of the honeycomb and honey forming an undesirable clump.

[0016] Preferably, the resiliently deformable sheet is formed out of a suitable food grade polymer material.

[0017] Preferably, all of the rigid flat frame and resiliently deformable sheet are adapted to withstand adequate food grade heat sterilization.

[0018] In another form, the present invention is a roller assembly for use with a honeycomb frame as previously described. The roller assembly includes at least one pair of rollers that are adapted to act upon opposites sides of the rigid flat frame and squeeze and deform the primer cells down to, or near to, the level of the rigid flat frame.

[0019] Preferably, the roller assembly is located in a honey extraction room.

[0020] Optionally, the roller assembly is portable and relocatable to the vicinity of the particular bee hive apiary from which the honeycomb frame has been removed, and wherein the honeycomb frame is then fed into the roller assembly.

[0021] Preferably, the roller assembly includes a plurality of pairs of rollers that each act upon the honeycomb frame sequentially as the honeycomb frame traverses the roller assembly.

[0022] Preferably, each roller pair within the roller assembly is set at a different gap distance between the rollers in the particular pair of rollers.

[0023] Preferably, the various gap distances are relative to the width of the solid frame assembly within the honeycomb frame so that at least the last roller pair in the roller assembly has the narrowest gap that corresponds with the level of the plane of the frame.

[0024] Optionally, the roller assembly is adapted to act in a forward and reverse direction, so that the honeycomb frame is able to be passed through the at least one pair of rollers in both a forward and subsequent reverse direction.

[0025] Preferably, the gap distance between each pair of rollers is adapted to change, relative to the width of the rigid flat frame, depending on the direction of travel of the honeycomb frame within the roller assembly so that at least the last roller pair has the narrowest gap that corresponds with the level of the plane of the frame, regardless of the direction of travel.

[0026] Preferably, the roller assembly includes direct drive means to force the honeycomb frame through the roller assembly, in either a forward direction only, or in a forward and reverse direction.

[0027] Alternatively, the means to force the honeycomb frame is a rack and pinion type arrangement, where the rack extends along at least one side of the honeycomb frame, and the pinion is integrated into a corresponding portion of the at least one roller.

[0028] Alternatively, the means to force the honeycomb frame is a piston arrangement that is configured to push the honeycomb frame through the rollers.

[0029] Preferably, the roller assembly includes collection means that accumulates the removed honey and wax from the honeycomb frame

[0030] Additionally, the roller assembly includes pumping and storage means that are adapted to pump the collected honey to a honey storage tank, where the honey is safely stored, and keeps it free of contaminants, ready for transport and subsequent processing.

[0031] In another form, the present invention is a method of removing the honey and wax from a honeycomb frame including the steps of:

a) positioning the roller assembly within the vicinity of a bee hive apiary, and b) ensuring the roller assembly is ready for operation by ensuring an adequate supply of compressed air for an air wash to remove the bees, and that the rollers are clean and ready for operation upon the honeycomb frame, and the collection and storage means are ready to receive the honey and wax removed from the honeycomb frame, and

c) removing a honeycomb frame from the bee hive, and

d) force feeding the removed honeycomb frame into the roller assembly, and

c) allowing the honeycomb frame to make at least one pass in one direction through the roller assembly, and

f) collecting the honey and wax material in the collection means and pumping the pumping the honey to a storage tank, and

g) replacing the comb frame within the bee hive.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0032] Figure 1 is a side view of the honeycomb frame according to one preferred form of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 2 is an isometric view of the honeycomb frame depicted in Figure 1.

[0034] Figure 3 is an end view of the honeycomb frame depicted in Figure 1.

[0035] Figure 4 is a top view of a honeycomb frame depicted in Figure 1.

Description of the preferred embodiments

[0036] Turning to Figure 1, we can see a honeycomb frame 1 including a rigid flat frame 3 that includes a resiliently deformable sheet 5 that is moulded onto the flat frame 3 across the central portion. The resiliently deformable sheet 5 includes a matrix of primer cells 7 on each face of the frame 3. Preferably, these are arranged in a drone bee pattern. Preferably the resiliently deformable sheet 5 is bonded to the rigid flat frame 3 so that the resiliently deformable sheet 5 is capable of resiliently compressing down against the rigid flat frame 3 but is not able to slide laterally across the face of the rigid flat frame 3. The honeycomb frame is designed to be placeable inside a bee hive. The bees then use the matrix of primer cells 7 to build up a honeycomb that extends outwardly from each side of the plane of the honeycomb frame. The honeycomb frame 1 is designed to be removable from the bee hive. It can then be fed through a roller assembly (not shown). The roller assembly includes at least one pair of rollers that extend across the width of the honeycomb frame 1. In this preferred embodiment, at least one roller in the roller assembly includes a pinion that is adapted to engage with a corresponding rack 9 in the frame. The rack and pinion action drives the honeycomb frame 1 through the roller assembly. The roller assembly is configurable to only operate upon the honeycomb frame 1 in one direction, or it may be configured to operate in a forward and reverse direction.

[0037] As shown best in Figures 3 and 4, the primer cells 7 of the resiliently deformable sheet 5 sit above the plane of the rigid flat frame 3. The rollers in the roller assembly are designed to resiliently compress the primer cells 7 downwardly against the rigid flat frame 3. This has the effect of causing the honeycomb to be removed from the honeycomb frame 1 and also for any honey inside the primer cells 7 to be expelled. Once the roller operation is complete, the honeycomb frame is ready to be placed back inside the bee hive.

[0038] The roller assembly may include multiple pairs of rollers. The gap between each roller in each pair of rollers, is adjustable to suit the thickness of the honeycomb frame 1. In the case where multiple pairs of rollers are included, the gap between each pair may be set at different distances, with preferably, the smallest gap being associated with the last pair of rollers, relative to the direction of movement of the honeycomb frame 1. Optionally the roller assembly is configured to enable the honey comb frame 1 to move firstly in a forward direction, then subsequently in a reverse direction. When this arrangement is invoked, then optionally the gaps between each of the roller pairs and automatically reconfigure, so that at least the last pair of rollers, relative to the direction of travel, has the smallest gap.

[0039] The roller assembly includes means to store the wax and honey that is removed from the honeycomb frame 1 and safely store it, ready for transport and subsequent processing, packaging.

[0040] The roller assembly is designed to be easily transportable to the location of the bee hives in an apiary and used within the vicinity of the hives. Alternatively, it may be located in a honey extraction room. The honeycomb frame 1 are able to be removed from the hive and placed in the roller assembly in a short period of time, thereby preserving the residual heat in the honeycomb frame 1 that it attains within the hive. There is therefore no need for a reheating procedure for the honeycomb frame 1. The bees keep the honeycomb frame 1 at 34°C inside the hive.

[0041] The period that the honeycomb frame 1 spends outside the hive is greatly reduced, thereby reducing its exposure to pathogens and other contaminants, and the rolling action of the roller pairs is far less likely to damage the integrity of the primer cell matrix, when compared to conventional scrapping operations.

[0042] All equipment is food grade, and there is no contamination from paint, wood dust etc.

[0043] Another advantage of the present invention is that all honey is obtained from virgin honeycomb, and all wax is capping quality wax. The system also removes all jellied and non-throw away honey.

[0044] The resilient substrate bonded to the frame is not destroyed during the extraction process. The resilient nature of the substrate allows each cell to be deformed by the roller action and then resume its useful shape after the extraction process has completed. It is then ready to be prepped for re-insertion into the hive.

[0045] Another advantage of the present invention is that all wax recovered from the frame is virgin wax. The frame of the present invention is easily sterilized and stored for prolonged periods without any special consideration regarding the infestation of pests or bacteria.

[0046] Many prior art techniques utilise toxic chemicals to sterilize the frame. This has the problem of toxic chemical build-up over time in the wax that is used as the foundation wax of the frame. This problem is eliminated with the present invention. The present invention uses food grade materials that are easily sterilized, and the foundation wax layer only needs to be applied prior to reinsertion into the hive box. [0047] While the above description includes the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that many variations, alterations, modifications and/or additions may be introduced into the constructions and arrangements of parts previously described without departing from the essential features or the spirit or ambit of the invention.

[0048] It will be also understood that w'here the word“comprise”, and variations such as“comprises” and“comprising”, arc used in this specification, unless the context requires otherwise such use is intended to imply the inclusion of a stated feature or features, but is not to be taken as excluding the presence of other feature or features.

[0049] The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

Claims

1. A honeycomb frame for use in a bee hive including a rigid flat frame assembly that supports a resiliently deformable sheet, said sheet includes a matrix of primer cells, wherein the matrix of primer cells are arranged in a drone pattern, and wherein the primer cells are used by the bees as a cell foundation for the construction within the hive of a honeycomb that is built outwardly from the plane of the resiliently deformable sheet.

2. The honeycomb frame as defined in claim 1 wherein the resiliently deformable sheet is bonded to the rigid flat frame.

3. The honeycomb frame as defined in claim 1 wherein the base of each primer cell within the matrix is substantially on a common plane within the deformable sheet.

4. The honeycomb frame as defined in claim 3 wherein the common plane is positioned at or near the plane of the rigid flat frame so that substantially all of the volume of the primer cells, and the honeycomb structure that is built upon each primer cell, by the bees, sit above the common plane of the rigid flat frame.

5. The honeycomb frame as defined in claim 4 wherein the honeycomb frame is adapted to be removable from the bee hive and fed through a roller assembly, wherein the rollers are substantially unyielding, and roll atop and across the rigid flat frame assembly, and their rolling action is sufficient to deform the primer cells and thereby remove the honeycomb and forcibly expel substantially all of the contents of the primer cell.

6. The honeycomb frame as defined in claim 5 wherein at least some of the rollers include a helically wound scraper that removes the residual honey from the primer cells, and the scraper the honeycomb and honey to flow more continuously and mitigates the likelihood of the honeycomb and honey forming an undesirable clump.

7. The honeycomb frame as defined in claim 1 wherein the resiliently deformable sheet is formed out of a suitable food grade polymer material.

8. The honeycomb frame as defined in claim 1 wherein all of the rigid flat frame and resiliently deformable sheet are adapted to withstand adequate food grade heat sterilization.

9. A roller assembly for use with a honeycomb frame as defined in any previous claim wherein the roller assembly includes at least one pair of rollers that are adapted to act upon opposite sides of the rigid flat frame and squeeze and deform the primer cells down to, or near to, the level of the rigid flat frame.

10. The roller assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein the roller assembly is housed and operated within a honey extraction room.

1 1. The roller assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein the roller assembly is portable and relocatable to the vicinity of the particular bee hive apiary from which the honeycomb frame has been removed, and wherein the honeycomb frame is then fed into the roller assembly.

12. The roller assembly as defined in either claim 10 or 1 1 wherein the roller assembly includes a plurality of pairs of rollers that each act upon the honeycomb frame sequentially as the honeycomb frame traverses the roller assembly.

13. The roller assembly as defined in claim 12 wherein each roller pair within the roller assembly is set at a different gap distance between the rollers in the particular pair of rollers.

14. The roller assembly as defined in claim 13 wherein the various gap distances are relative to the width of the solid frame assembly within the honeycomb frame, so that at least the last roller pair in the roller assembly has the narrowest gap that corresponds with the level of the plane of the frame.

15. The roller assembly as defined in claim 14 wherein the roller assembly is adapted to act in a forward and reverse direction, so that the honeycomb frame is able to be passed through the at least one pair of rollers in both a forward and subsequent reverse direction.

16. The roller assembly as defined in claim 15 wherein the gap distance between each pair of rollers is adapted to change, relative to the width of the rigid flat frame, depending on the direction of travel of the honeycomb frame within the roller assembly so that at least the last roller pair has the narrowest gap that corresponds with the level of the plane of the frame, regardless of the direction of travel.

17. The roller assembly as defined in claim 16 wherein the roller assembly includes direct drive means to force the honeycomb frame through the roller assembly, in either a forw ard direction only, or in a forward and reverse direction.

18. The roller assembly as defined in claim 17 wherein the means to force the honeycomb frame is a rack and pinion type arrangement, where the rack extends along at least one side of the honeycomb frame, and the pinion is integrated into a corresponding portion of the at least one roller.

19. The roller assembly as defined in claim 18 wherein the means to force the honeycomb frame is a piston arrangement that is configured to push and/or pull the honeycomb frame through the rollers.

20. The roller assembly as defined in any one of claims 9 to 19 wherein the roller assembly includes collection means that accumulates the removed honey and wax from the honeycomb frame.

21. The roller assembly as defined in claim 20 wherein the roller assembly includes pumping and storage means that are adapted to pump the collected honey to a honey storage tank, where the honey is safely stored, and keeps it free of contaminants, ready for transport and subsequent processing.

22. A method of removing honey and wax from a honeycomb frame including the steps of:

h) positioning the roller assembly within the vicinity of a bee hive apiary, and i) ensuring the roller assembly is ready for operation by ensuring an adequate supply of compressed air for an air wash to remove the bees, and that the rollers are clean and ready for operation upon the honeycomb frame, and the collection and storage means are ready to receive the honey and wax removed from the honeycomb frame, and

j) removing a honey comb frame from the bee hive, and

k) force feeding the removed honeycomb frame into the roller assembly, and l) allowing the honeycomb frame to make at least one pass in one direction through the roller assembly, and m) collecting the honey and wax material in the collection means and pumping the pumping the honey to a storage tank, and

n) replacing the comb frame within the bee hive.