Patent Application
20210378218
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention pertains to a device and method to help bee colonies successfully overwinter by offering a means of consistent food, shelter, and ventilation within the hive.
The Bee Informed Partnership is a nationally recognized collaboration of research labs and universities engaged in agricultural science. According to a report recently released by this organization and others like it, over 40 percent of bee colonies die each year. This loss has been attributed to a number of variables; however, the hive's inability to successfully overwinter is one of the main reasons for these casualties. Many hives lack a consistent source of food and may experience excessive moisture within the hive structure resulting in disease and loss within the colony.
For generations, man has constructed outdoor beehives both to harvest honey and to assist in the pollination of crops. A beehive generally includes one or more boxes filled with a plurality of suspended wooden frames. The wooden frames within each box provide a foundation on which bees can build combs to raise broods or store honey. In a typical beehive tower, a wooden inner cover is positioned directly above the frames such that there is very shallow spacing between the underside of that inner cover and the top of the frames. The inner cover fits snugly around the edges of the box at the uppermost position on the stack and may have notches to allow for the exchange of air. A wooden telescoping outer cover is placed over the inner cover to provide a protective lid against the elements.
Because the structure is kept outdoors, the temperature within the hive interior falls as the ambient exterior temperature decreases throughout the autumn and winter months. Bees form a plurality of substantially spherically shaped clusters in the narrow spaces between the frames to combat this temperature loss. The cool, outer surface of the cluster is tightly packed with bees while the interior is less dense, allowing bees in that area to move, using their flight muscles to generate heat. Individual members of the colony take turns rotating from the outer layer to the inner layer and back again to obtain food and warmth. The problem with this configuration is that the frames within the box body prevent lateral movement of the bees; each small cluster can therefore access only that honey stored within the proximate frames. The narrow spacing between the frames also limits the size and motion of the bee cluster. If a cluster is too dense to allow movement of individual bees or too small to produce sufficient warmth, the bees will die of either starvation or hypothermia.
Beekeepers have attempted to address this problem by providing supplemental food. One common method involves placing a sheet of paper on top of the frames and covering it with a small amount of fondant or sugar to provide an emergency food source for the bees. This method is typically referred to as the “mountain camp method.” The supplemental food is enclosed within a shallow space between the top of the frames and bottom of the inner cover as illustrated in
There are a number of disadvantages to this method but the main drawback involves “wetting” of the bees. When fully assembled, the components within a beehive tower form a substantially closed structure as illustrated in
Another issue with the mountain camp method involves additional exposure of the hive to cold temperatures. The limited space between the inner cover and top of the frames allows for the placement of only a small amount of food which must be replenished frequently. Beekeepers must open the inner and outer covers repeatedly during the cool winter months to check the status of the food. Each time the covers are removed, the temperature of the hive is lowered and the cluster beneath the inner cover is exposed and displaced, further weakening the hive.
The quality of the bee food is also affected by the mountain camp method. All protective packaging must be removed to give the bees access to the entire surface area of the feed; this results in desiccation and hardening of the fondant or sugar. Within a short period of time, the food becomes tough, impenetrable, and nearly impossible for the bees to eat. So while there is a food source above the bees, they cannot take full advantage of it due to its consistency. The natural upward motion of each cluster with the rising heat prevents individual bees from retreating downward toward any remaining honey in the frames. The cluster remains huddled in the damp area between the frame tops and inner cover where bees often starve or die of exposure.
Rodents can also pose an issue when using supplemental feed, infiltrating the hive to feast on the sugary material. These pests will remain at the top of the frames where they urinate and defecate on the bees and honey below. This contaminates the honey and lowers the core temperature of any bees still clustering within the frames.
There is therefore a need in the art for a device and method for monitoring, sheltering, and consistently feeding bee colonies throughout the autumn and winter months. There is further a need for a device and method that allows the bees to cluster in a formation that maximizes warmth and minimizes humidity during these critical months.
For the purpose of this application, the term “fondant” shall refer to any suitable bee food of a generally solid or crystalline nature such as sugar cakes, sugar bricks, sugar mountains, and the like. The term “hive box” shall refer to hive bodies, supers, and other box-like structures added to the tower of a standard beehive stack. The term “box” should not be viewed as limiting the geometry to rectangular shapes as other hive tower shapes may be used, such as cylinders. The term “cardboard packaging” shall be used exclusively to refer to any paper or cardboard box or similar packaging surrounding the bee food.
The method and device of the present invention replaces the standard and problematic feeding technique described above by placing a raised feeding platform within an enclosing structure beneath the inner and outer covers. In the preferred embodiment, the platform is comprised of a substantially horizontal feed board elevated by two “feet” or elevating elements at opposing sides of the platform and open on the remaining opposing ends. The feet of the platform are in direct contact with the plurality of frame tops such that a void is created below the bottom surface of the platform face and the top of the frames. This void creates a warm and dry space for the bees to cluster and feed.
The platform has at least one through hole oriented substantially vertically through the horizontal face of the feed board. Ideally, this hole is centered within the horizontal face; however, the hole may be placed in other areas of the platform. Each through hole may be covered with or may have an integrated supportive structure such as a mesh material or hardware cloth capable of bearing up to fifty pounds of weight. The openings within the supportive structure are of a size that will allow individual bees to traverse through the material. The desired quantity of fondant is placed on top of the through hole, providing a consistent food source above the bees clustering in the void created by the platform. This block of food may be left in its original packaging such that the food is surrounded by its plastic covering. This covering helps the fondant retain a soft consistency and prevents undesirable animals and insects from feeding on the exterior surfaces of the fondant. The cardboard packaging may also be placed on top of the fondant, if desired, to absorb excess moisture and humidity dropping from the inner cover above.
The space between the frame tops and platform allows the bees to cluster in one large, compact formation in the center of the hive structure rather than numerous smaller clusters between the frames. This position and greater number of bees keeps the hive warmer and away from the cooler walls of the hive tower. The tightly packed nature of the cluster reduces air space between the bees and subsequently reduces the condensation within that cluster.
This design has numerous advantages. Because the bees have access to a substantial surface area of the fondant beneath the feeding hole, there is no need to expose the entire surface of the fondant to air within the upper box. As previously noted, the original outer packaging may remain on the exterior of the feed, preventing the fondant exterior from drying out. The exposed surface of the fondant at the through hole absorbs the moisture and warmth generated by the bees below it, creating an ideal feeding consistency for the bees.
The platform also provides shelter to the hive which is lacking in other known feed methods. The diameter of an average winter bee cluster is akin to that of a basketball. By creating a platform with a surface area that is large enough to cover this average cluster size, bees can easily move within the formation for warmth and food in the space provided. The openings on the side of the platform allow excess heat and moisture within the air to escape to the large open cavity of the enclosing structure.
Accumulated condensation on the inner cover and walls cannot drop on and wet the bees. The platform therefore allows individuals to access fondant at the through hole as needed while keeping them warm and dry. If cardboard packaging is used to cover the fondant, this material will soak up excess moisture, further reducing chance of wetting within the hive. The overall health of the hive is therefore strengthened through this device and method.
Because the platform shields the bee cluster, the beekeeper can easily remove the inner and outer covers at any time with minimal disturbance to the hive to determine whether more food is required. The enclosing structure surrounding the fondant allows for the placement of a large quantity of food at the start of the winter season rather than frequent feedings of small quantities as used in the mountain camp method. Subsequently, the beekeeper does not have to open the inner cover as often to check the food status. If more food is needed, fondant may be added quickly to the top of the feed board, limiting exposure and heat loss. This constant source of food gives the hive confidence to raise broods resulting in more bees in the spring.
This device and method offer financial benefits as well. The low cost and availability of fondant allows beekeepers to harvest and sell more honey than would normally be taken each season. In Pennsylvania for instance, beekeepers tend to leave seventy to one hundred pounds of honey within the hive to increase the bees' chance of survival over the winter. The present method and device allows an equivalent mass of fondant to be used instead. The price of honey currently ranges from $6 per pound to $11 per pound while fondant can be purchased from $0.10 per pound to $0.60 per pound. The hive is therefore significantly more profitable when using this device and method.
The raised platform 55 has a through hole or void 70 that extends through the full depth of the horizontal face 60 as depicted in
An enclosing structure 80 is securely stacked on the box 20 beneath it, surrounding the raised platform 55 as shown in
Fondant 35 sitting within the enclosing structure 80 may be kept in its original plastic covering in order to prevent desiccation of the feed. Heat and moisture generated by the hive keeps the exposed surface of the fondant 35 moist and of a consistency that is easy for the bees to feed on. Excess heat and moisture escapes through the open area beneath the raised platform 55 where it rises and condenses on the walls of the enclosing structure 80 and inner cover 40. While some humidity will escape the hive tower 5 through the standard notched openings on the inner cover 40, the cardboard packaging 85 may be placed on top of the fondant 35 to absorb additional moisture, if desired. Any condensation dripping off the underside of the inner cover 40 will fall on and be absorbed by this cardboard packaging 85. The top of the cardboard packaging 85 may also be scored as shown in
Ideally, the feet 65 are sized such that the horizontal face 60 of the raised platform 55 is positioned at a platform height H of approximately % of an inch above the top of the frames 25 as shown in
Referring again to
The surface area of the horizontal face 60 must be large enough to accommodate the desired quantity of fondant 35 and should distribute the weight of that fondant 35 across the frames 25 in the box 20 beneath it to avoid warpage of those supporting frames 25. While the raised platform 55 should be configured to evenly distribute the weight of the fondant 35 across the frames 25, the frames 25 should not be entirely covered by the raised platform 55.
As previously discussed, heat and condensation within the hive structure rises and collects on the uppermost inner surfaces and walls of the hive tower 5. In standard hive construction. this moisture often drips on the bees, lowering their core temperature and killing them. By leaving a portion of the frames 25 uncovered, the heat and condensation within the frames 25 can escape around the raised platform 55 where it will rise and collect on the walls of the enclosing structure 80 and the inner cover 40 now positioned well above the fondant 35. Because the fondant 35 covers the void 70 and because the bees cluster for warmth and food beneath the surface area of the raised platform 55, the colony is protected from any dripping moisture above. The raised platform 55 therefore provides the appropriate depth for clustering and sheltering while simultaneously offering access to the fondant 35. This method and device therefore provides the cluster 90 with consistent access to food and warmth while solving the “wet bee” issue.
The raised platform 55 is placed such that the feet 65 are oriented substantially ninety degrees from the parallel placement of the frames 25 as shown in
Referring again to
Standard ten frame beehive boxes (commonly known as Langstroth boxes) have interior dimensions that are generally 18⅜ inches long by 14¾ inches wide. For standard ten frame beehive boxes, the inventor contemplates the use of a rectangular raised platform 55 that is a nominal 16 inches long by a nominal 13 inches wide. This size and shape provides the preferred surface area and weight distribution to support the fondant 35; however, non-rectangular shapes may also be used. It should be noted that other frame configurations and sizes are commonly used, such as 8 frame and 5 frame beehive boxes. As previously noted, the surface area of the horizontal face 60 will ideally range from 37-80% of the surface area of the top of the box 20 holding the frames 25 regardless of the specific hive tower size and frame configuration used.
The feet 65, horizontal face 60 of the raised platform 55, and enclosing structure 80 may be made of wood, plastic or any similarly suitable material. The mesh 75 may be constructed from metal, plastic, fabric, wood or any appropriately durable material.
While the above description contains many specifics, these should be considered exemplifications of one or more embodiments rather than limitations on the scope of the invention. As previously discussed, many variations are possible and the scope of the invention should not be restricted by the examples illustrated herein.
This application claims benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/035,053 of Joseph Riley, filed Jun. 5, 2020, entitled Beehive Feeding Device and Method, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63035053 | Jun 2020 | US |
