Patent Application
20240008458
The present invention pertains to an enhanced method for controlling pests that pose a threat to bee colonies in both commercial and non-commercial apiaries, specifically focusing on preventing pest entry into the beehive. Furthermore, the present invention offers a comprehensive system, method, and apparatus designed to actively repel and eliminate pests attempting to infiltrate a beehive, while also providing valuable monitoring and management tools for apiary upkeep and optimization.
In many countries honey bees are raised commercially in apiaries for both honey production and pollination services with a combined market value around US$9 billion in 2021. Additionally, in the U.S., honey bees contribute nearly US$20 billion to the value of crop production. This contribution, made by managed honey bees, comes in the form of increased yields and superior quality crops for growers and consumers. In order to sustain these apiaries, proper bee and pest management is required, with special measures taken to protect the bees from pests.
Honey bees raised commercially comprise two species, Apis cerana, the eastern honey bee or the Asiatic honey bee, and Apis mellifera, the western honey bee, or European honey bee. Non-commercial honey bees comprise an additional six species, Apis florea, Apis andreniformis, Apis dorsata, Apis laboriosa, Apis koshevnicovi, and Apis nigrocincta. Non-commercial honey bees and non-honey producing bees include some 20,000 known species.
Apis cerana is a species of honey bee native to southern, southeastern, and eastern Asia with relatively small colonies, typically only around 6,000 to 7,000 workers. This bee species is found at altitudes from sea level up to 3,500 meters in areas with appropriate flora and climate and has adapted to adverse climatic conditions and can survive extreme fluctuations in temperature and long periods of rainfall. It is unique in its ability to survive temperatures as low as −0.1° C., a temperature lethal for other bee species.
Apis mellifera is the most common species of honey bees worldwide, occurring naturally in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa with colonies of up to 50,000 individuals. This species has been subdivided into at least 20 recognized subspecies (or races), none of which are native to the Americas however, subspecies have been spread extensively beyond their natural range due to economic benefits related to pollination and honey production. Presently, European honey bees are naturalized on all continents except Antarctica and the primary honey bee in America.
In order to sustain apiaries, pest management is required, including special measures to protect from wasps, beetles, mites, wax moths, and any diseases they may carry. Additional pests include Braula fly, spiders, earwigs, ants, cockroaches, non-commercial honey bees, non-honey producing bees, and mice.
Wasps are a narrow-waisted insect that include hornets and yellowjackets. A hornet is an insect in the genus Vespa and is the largest of the eusocial wasps, and are similar in appearance to yellowjackets. A yellowjacket is a descriptive term used in North America for two genera of social wasps, Vespula and Dolichovespula, which are black with yellow markings on the front of the head and yellow banding around the abdomen.
Wasps are an enemy of honey bees and will hover around the entrance of a honey beehive and try to overwhelm the worker bees guarding the beehive. If the honey bee colony is weak, the wasp will enter the beehive and eat the honey and pollen as well as the honey bee workers and larva.
The Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) is of particular interest in areas where it has been introduced as an invasive species because the indigenous honey bees have no natural defenses. This pest is very large with a body length up to 45 mm, strong mandibles and is intensely predatory and hunts medium- to large-sized insects, such as bees, This hornet often attacks honey beehives to obtain the adults, pupae, and larvae as food for their own larvae. The hornets can devastate a colony of honey bees, a single hornet can kill as many as 40 bees per minute due to its large mandibles, which can quickly strike and decapitate prey. The honey bees' stings are ineffective because the hornets are five times their size and heavily armored. Only a few hornets (under 50) can exterminate a colony of tens of thousands of bees in a few hours. Typically, individual guard bees leave the beehive and attack the hornets in the air away from the nest.
If allowed, the giant hornets will slaughter the colony until only a few bees remain, then enter enter the honey beehive and predate the pupae and larvae, as well as the bees they had previously killed. During this phase, the hornets make continual trips from the occupied hive to their nest for several days to up to two weeks as they devour the honey bee brood.
Research indicates bees under attack frequently emit auditory responses when predators were directly outside of nests, in part because of frenetic production of anti-predator pipes, which share acoustic traits with alarm shrieks, fear screams and panic calls of primates, birds and meerkats.
The small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) is a beekeeping pest endemic to sub-Saharan Africa but has spread to many other locations, including North America, Australia, and the Philippines. The adult beetle is dark brown to black, about 5-6 mm long×3 mm in width. It can be a destructive pest of honey bee colonies, causing damage to comb, stored honey, and pollen. If a beetle infestation is sufficiently heavy, they may cause bees to abandon their hive. Its presence can also be a marker in the diagnosis of colony collapse disorder for honey bees. The beetles can also be a pest of stored combs, and honey (in the comb) awaiting extraction. Beetle larvae may tunnel through combs of honey, feeding and defecating, causing discoloration and fermentation of the honey.
Similar to the small hive beetle is the large hive beetle, (Oplostomus fuligineus), which is around 20-23 mm long with a shining black body. It is also an insect pest of honey bees that is native to regions of Africa. Another closely related species, Oplostomus haroldi has also been observed as a pest of honey bees in honey bee colonies in regions of Africa.
Mites are small arachnids, usually less than 1 mm in length, with a simple, unsegmented body. Of particular interest to beehive protection are Tropilaelaps mites and Varroa mites.
Tropilaelaps mites are native to Asia and naturally parasitise the brood of the Giant honey bees of Asia, such as Apis dorsata. Two species of Tropilaelaps mites (Tropilaelaps clareae and T. mercedesae) are also able to parasitise European honey bees (Apis mellifera). Tropilaelaps mites are external parasitic mites that feed on the haemolymph (blood) of drone and worker bee pupae, as well as reproduce on honey bee brood.
Tropilaelaps mite infestation causes severe damage to honey bee colonies such as deformed pupae and adults (stunting, damaged wings/legs/abdomens), parasitic mite syndrome (PMS) and colony decline. The colony may also swarm or abscond, further spreading the mite to new locations. Tropilaelaps mites can also spread viruses which further affect the colony's health and disease susceptibility. If Tropilaelaps mites were to become established in Australia, they would cause significant losses to managed and wild honey bee colonies, crop pollination and yields of honey products.
Varroa mites are also external parasitic mites and require a honey bee host to survive and reproduce. The Varroa mite is only able to reproduce on honey bee brood, while only adult female Varroa mites are able to feed on adult honey bees. Therefore, the entire life cycle of Varroa mite occurs within the honey bee colony. Mites initially adhere to the honey bee body surface while outside the beehive, once attached the mite sucks blood, and when returned to the beehive, breeding is carried out. The female mite lays eggs in pupae cells, and the hatched mite grows by sucking the body fluid of the honey bee pupae. Once the mite egg matures, it moves to a new pupae cell and repeats breeding. Bees that have inhaled body fluids will fail to grow, become smaller, fail to operate normally, and in severe cases may result in the annihilation of the bees in the beehive.
Deformed wing virus (DWV) is a worldwide disease that is often associated with high Varroa mite populations. Like mosquitoes, Varroa mites serve as a vector for a whole host of viral diseases, including DWV, a part of a complex of closely related virus strains/species that also includes Kakugo virus, V. destructor virus 1 and Egypt bee virus. Varroa mites, carrying these diseases inside them, then infect other bees within the colony as well as honey bees in other colonies due to robbing and drift.
Mites are controlled primarily by chemical control methods, for example by the use of organic acids such as formic acid. In order not to endanger the honey harvest, this treatment is usually carried out in August or September and thus after the honey harvest. If mite infestation is so strong at an earlier stage that it requires formic acid control, this usually means that it is no longer possible to harvest the honey. In addition, treatment of bees with chemical control methods can lead to the loss of bees, possibly even to the loss of the queen bee.
The greater and lessor wax moths are also pests of concern. The adult greater wax moth is gray color about 13-19 mm long with some mottling on its wings with the back third of the wing is bronze colored. The lesser wax moth has similar coloration but is only 10-13 mm long. When the wings of the moth are folded over the body they appear as a ‘roof’ or ‘boat’ shape. In both species the male moths are smaller than female moths and lighter in color. Male moths can also be distinguished by the indentation at the front of the wing, while this region is straight in females. Both species eat beeswax, particularly unprocessed wax, pollen, remains of larval honey bees, and honey bee cocoon silk.
Adult Braula flies are small (0.9 mm wide by 1.5 mm long), wingless flies which can be seen riding on the thorax or abdomen of adult honey bees. It is red-brown colored, covered in hairs and has six legs, which look large in relation to its body size. Braula fly lay small white eggs (0.84 mm by 0.42 mm) throughout the beehive, however, only the eggs deposited on capped honey comb will hatch. Adult Braula flies can be seen on workers, drones and queens, but have a recognized preference for queen bees. In some cases queens can carry a large number of Braula fly, each of which steals a small amount of food from the queen. If enough Braula flies are present this can cause the queen to lay fewer eggs and possibly cause her supersedure.
Beehives provide shelter to a number of large and small arthropods such as spiders, earwigs, and cockroaches. These are not harmful to the bees or hive equipment and do not require control.
Ants are usually not serious pests in honey beehives, however, some honeybee species are more vulnerable and serious damage may be caused. Ants may enter hives to search for food or establish nesting sites and are typically found between the inner and outer covers of the beehive and in pollen traps.
Mice are a serious pest of stored combs and may inhabit hives with active honey bee colonies during the fall and winter months. These rodents chew combs and frames to make room for building their nests. Mice urinate on combs and frames, making bees reluctant to use the combs or clean out these nests in the spring.
Management of pests attempting to enter areas where they may cause damage may employ different methods, including electrocution, however, research has shown that when insects are electrocuted, it can spread a mist containing insect parts up to about 2 meters. This can contaminate the immediate vicinity with bacteria and viruses that can settle on food items.
U.S. beekeepers lost over 45% of their managed honey bee colonies from April 2020 to April 2021, according to preliminary results of an annual nationwide survey. A major cause cited was honey bee pests, in particular the Varroa destructor mite.
Because most pest control measures are reactionary, finding damage already done and attempting to rid infected hives of the pest, it would represent a major innovation if proactive measures could detect and prevent these pests from entering hives. Additionally, the timely detection of invasive species is critical to control of pests across regions, however, the current labor intensive inspection practices in commercial apiaries renders this impractical. Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved system, method and apparatus to identify, monitor and prevent pest entry into beehives.
The present invention introduces a comprehensive system, method, and apparatus designed to identify and actively prevent pests from entering a beehive. Entry denial is achieved through the use of mechanisms that deter or eliminate pests attempting to infiltrate the hive.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, visual and audio classification sensors gather real-time data and categorize all insects trying to access the beehive. The system employs one or more visual classification sensors to monitor a top-down view of the entrance, while audio classification sensors capture ambient sounds.
For user convenience, the visual and audio classification sensors are mounted on an apparatus that attaches to an existing hive (brood) box. This apparatus is positioned in front of the current hive entrance, limiting access to individual entry points monitored by the video classification sensor(s). Each entry point features an automated kill mechanism, activated by the classification and control computer, to prevent pest entry.
Visual classification sensors can include visible light cameras, infrared cameras, LIDAR, laser scanners, other suitable technologies, or a combination thereof. Audio classification sensors encompass one or more microphones or other appropriate technologies that convert sound into electrical signals for analysis, enabling the differentiation of honey bees from flying pests such as wasps and hornets.
Data collected from the classification sensors is processed by a classification and control computer, which utilizes specialized classification algorithms, including traditional and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. These AI algorithms may leverage trained neural networks to accurately identify insects in real-time. Additional factors, such as insect size, sound, shape, speed, coloration, and direction of movement, can be used to enhance classification performance.
The classification process categorizes every insect as either “a bee” or “a pest,” with “a bee” referring to Apis cerana, Apis mellifera or other desirable honeybee. Upon initialization, the beekeeper declares either Apis cerana, Apis mellifera or another desirable honeybee species as the preferred beehive species, and all other bee species are deemed pests, warranting exclusion from the beehive. The classification and control computer algorithms will then only identify the declared beehive species as “a bee.”
When initially activated, the classification and control computer uses the specified species to select the inference data set previously generated using a library of images and audio files representative of that species for positive training of its neural network. The inference data set selected also contains data (for negative response) trained using a library of images and audio files (if available) of pests, including wasps, beetles, mites, wax moths, Braula flies, spiders, earwigs, ants, cockroaches, and mite-infested bees. Additionally, audio files of bees under normal conditions and audio files of bees under stress (attack) may be used for both positive and negative neural network training and subsequent inference.
Insects classified as “a bee” are counted and logged as either entering or exiting the beehive. Insects designated as “a pest” trigger an exclusion attempt, employing a mechanism that kills or severely injures the insect. Furthermore, all “a pest” classified insects are identified by type, logged, and their statistics are made available to the beekeeper via a secure, remote communication link. Beekeepers can also set limit conditions for each insect type, which, when reached, trigger a notification message to be transmitted to the beekeeper. For example, a beekeeper may set a very low threshold for detecting an Asian giant hornet (or other previously unseen invasive species) so that local authorities can be notified.
In various embodiments, the visual and audio classification sensors can be enhanced by incorporating multiple lateral/ventral (side/bottom) view sensors. Additional audio classification sensors may also be integrated to improve classification. Moreover, ultrasonic transducers can be included to aid in classification. In some embodiments, the beehive entrances may feature an automated closure mechanism controlled by the classification and control computer.
In other embodiments, a cover with a restricted entry may be used to compel insects to crawl rather than fly towards the control entry mechanism.
In yet other embodiments, physical barriers can be placed between entry ports, creating lanes that force insects to move in essentially single file.
In certain embodiments, the lane barrier may be made of highly reflective material (mirrored) and shaped to reflect both lateral views of the insect so that the overhead camera can simultaneously observe the dorsal and both lateral views.
In some embodiments, the kill mechanism may utilize a variable energy delivery mechanism under the control of the computer, adjusting the kill energy level based on the physical attributes of the insect.
In various embodiments, consistent intensity and color lighting can be integrated to aid in consistent insect classification.
In some embodiments, near-infrared LEDs operating as high-power strobes (flash) can be integrated to penetrate light hairs (fuzz) where Varroa mites may hide, improving Varroa mite detection. In certain embodiments, the classification components and kill mechanisms can be integrated into standard Langstroth beehive components.
In other embodiments, remote temperature and air composition sensors may be incorporated into the internal beehive frames. These remote sensors communicate temperature and air composition periodically to the main apparatus control computer.
In yet other embodiments, a remote temperature and air composition measurement apparatus can be used in conjunction with the main apparatus, providing increased flexibility in sensing the conditions within the hive. This remote apparatus may communicate temperature and air composition periodically to the main apparatus control computer and may also operate in standalone mode, without the main apparatus.
In various embodiments, solar panels can be used to provide energy for charging batteries that power the electronic components.
In some embodiments, controlled heating elements are implemented to reduce the wintertime energy requirements of the bee colony and enhance colony viability. Heating is controlled by monitoring both temperature and bee behavior.
In other embodiments, controlled ventilation is implemented to reduce the summertime energy requirements of the bee colony and enhance colony viability. Ventilation is controlled by monitoring both temperature and bee behavior.
In certain embodiments, a chemical sensor may be employed to detect potentially harmful substances within a hive, including viruses, bacteria, decay, and molds.
In some embodiments, the chemical sensor may be used to identify types of nectar and pollen being returned to the hive by foragers, helping beekeepers understand the current availability of flowering species near the apiary and the distances foragers travel.
In other embodiments, the visual classification sensor may be employed to identify the color and quantity of pollen being returned to the hive by foragers, further assisting beekeepers in understanding the local availability of flowering species and forager travel distances.
In various embodiments, an automated door may be added to the cover to restrict entry and increase the thermal isolation of the hive.
In some embodiments, a box alignment and stabilization device with an integrated load cell may be implemented to align and stabilize multi-box hives while monitoring hive weight.
In other embodiments, a hive leveling device may be implemented with an integrated load cell to align, level, and stabilize a hive while monitoring hive weight.
In certain embodiments, a front-facing motion detector may be implemented to detect non-insect pests such as bears, skunks, anteaters, armadillos, and other insectivorous animals that may pose a threat to an apiary. Detection may trigger visual and auditory alarms and send priority notifications to the beekeeper.
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims; however, the invention itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
With reference now to the figures, and in particular with reference to
The beehive body is typically constructed of wood and serve as the living quarters for a bee colony and sits directly on top of the bottom board 102. Hive bodies hold either eight or 10 frames (not shown) where the queen lays her eggs and workers store pollen and honey for food. Each hive body has enough space to house between 50,000 and 60,000 workers.
The beehive depicted is a single box (brood box), however in an apiary, a hive is typically constructed of one or two brood boxes and several supers (additional honey storage boxes) stacked on top. Other standard beehive components not shown, are queen excluder, honey supers, and inner cover.
The beehive depicted is an example of one popular type and construction, however, the invention may be implemented on other designs as well
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Sensor data is provided for computer analysis by the sensor system compromising a visual classification sensor 403, an internal temperature, humidity, and chemical sensor 404, an external temperature, humidity, and chemical sensor 405, a front facing audio classification sensors (s) 406, a rear facing audio classification sensor 407 and load cells 408.
The primary classification sensor is visual classification sensor 403, a high resolution auto-focus color sensor providing sub-millimeter resolution images of insects attempting to enter the beehive. The frame rate and resolution are sufficient to detect, track and classify all potential insect threats that are able to enter the entry ports as shown in
The internal and external temperature, humidity, and chemical sensors 404 and 405 respectively, provide environment data for computer analysis. The temperature and humidity data are analyzed to determine if auxiliary heat or ventilation of the hive is necessary. The chemical sensor data is analyzed using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms that have been trained to recognize chemical and biological signatures, including pathogens, rot, mildew, and fungus.
The audio classification sensors, 406 and 407 are digital microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors convert sounds to electrical signals that can be analyzed to differentiate bees from flying pests such as wasps and hornets by providing high sensitivity wide-band audio data for analysis. The front facing audio classification sensor 406 provides early warning of pests that have unique audio signatures such as the Asian Giant Hornet as well as general environmental noise that may be used to detect intruders in the vicinity of the apiary. The rear facing audio classification sensor 407 data is analyzed to determine the health of the colony where both the frequency distribution and volume are used to develop a baseline and then compare current data to historical data for the hive at the same time of day and year. Deviations from the baseline are used to notify the beekeeper that a physical hive inspection may be necessary.
The load cell 408 data is used to determine the actual weight of the entire hive or the honey supers and may be monitored during the year.
A wireless interface 409 provides communication to either a central station (not shown) via LAN that allows management of multiple beehives, or via WAN that allows direct communication to the beekeeper.
Data and code are stored in local storage comprising volatile storage 410, non-volatile storage 411 and removable storage such as a Secure Digital (SD) card 412.
Physical input and output is controlled through a General Purpose Input Output (GPIO) Interface 413, coupled to apparatus control blocks comprising heat and ventilation control 414, kill zone drivers 415, air pump driver 416, LED lighting drivers 417, and door driver 418.
The heat and ventilation control 414 is used to maintain the beehive temperature and humidity within the correct levels, optimizing beehive productivity and survivability.
Kill zone drivers 415 deliver high voltage to each of the port kill mechanisms under control of algorithms executing on compute module A 401 and compute module B 402.
The air pump driver 416 controls the operation of an air pump used to extract air from the beehive for measurement by the temperature, humidity, and chemical sensors 404 and 405.
The LED lighting drivers 417, control LEDs providing interior illumination color and intensity for optimized image capture by the visual classification sensor 403. Active control is achieved using an embedded light sensor monitoring the interior light level.
The door driver 418 controls a stepper motor that opens and closes an internal door mechanism under control of algorithms executing on compute module A 401 and compute module B 402.
With reference now to
Additionally, the power source selector 509 provided automatic switching between external and internal sources which is then fed to a multi-output power regulator 510. The multi-output regulator provides regulated 3.3V and 5.0V power that is monitored for voltage level and current usage by the respective power monitors, 511 and 512. The 150V power output 513 provided high voltage to the kill zone drivers (
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The main processing chain is comprised of main 603 and the send and receive interface 602. Main 603 is responsible for basic functions including boot, process startup, configuration, test, diagnostics and interface to the beekeeper via the send and receive interface 602. The receive and send interface 602 may be configured as a local area network (LAN) if a central station (not pictured) is present, or as a wide area network (WAN) if not present. The receive and send interface 602 relies on antenna 604 for signal transmission.
The video processing chain 605 is comprised of the get frame process 606, the detect movement process 607, the track insect process 608, the analyze insect 609, and the kill insect process 610. The get frame process 606 captures high speed data from the visual classification sensor hardware and loads each frame of data into memory, The detect movement process 607 compares frame to frame changes to detect movement within the visual classification sensor field of view. When movement is detected, the data is passed to the track insect process 608 which records the size, shape, and coloration of each object from frame to frame. After multiple frames of consistent data (size, shape and coloration) has been tracked, the object which represents an insect, is assigned a number and the data is passed to the analyze insect process 609 where it is characterized as a bee or not-a-bee. If the insect is characterized not-a-bee (based on size, shape and coloration), the data is passed to the kill insect process 610 which is responsible for timing the insect entry into the kill zone and applying the correct energy level to kill but not scatter the insect. If the insect is characterized as a bee, additional algorithms break the data into regions representing the dorsal and lateral views of the head, thorax, and abdominal segments of a bee. This data is then passed to algorithms to detect if varroa mites are present. If the algorithm does not detect varroa mites, the bee is allowed to pass through the kill zone unimpeded, however, if the algorithm detects one or more varroa, actions preset by the beekeeper are initiated. Possible actions include,
The audio chain 611 comprises the get audio process 612, the process audio process 613, the analyze audio process 614, an the take actions process 615.
The get audio process 612 receives a pulse-density modulated (PDM) digital signal from the front and rear MEMS Audio classification sensors via digital serial communications interface (SCI) and passed to the process audio process 613 where it is demodulated into a usable digital data stream and stored in memory. The data stream is organized into blocks and the analyze audio process 614 is called which performs special audio processing including the fast Fourier transform (FFT) which transforms the data from time to frequency domain. The resulting data is sorted into a histogram that is used to analyze the distribution. This distribution may be used to detect certain flying predatory species like the Asian Giant Hornet which have a distinctive wing-beat noise. This distribution may also be useful identifying other predators including bears, skunks, anteaters, and other insectivorous. When a specific predatory species is detected, notification is passed to the take action process 615 which follows preset instructions. Possible actions include,
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The solar panel 801, replaces the beehive top (depicted in
The size (in ampere-hours) of the batteries 802 and 803 depicted are design dependent, i.e., how many hours is the apparatus required to operate with minimal sunlight, what are the heating and ventilation requirements in the beehive environment.
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The beehive 1101 is also shown with apparatus 1102 mounted.
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The outer cover 1301 prevents bees flying directly to the entrance as well as provides weather protection for all internal components. The solar panel 1302 provides charging for the internal emergency batteries that is independent of the external solar panels. The back case 1305 provides primary structural integrity and houses the electronics bay (not shown) covered by the electronics bay cover 1306. The visual classification sensor 1307 is mounted on the apparatus center line and provides high resolution video and static images to the classification software. The visual classification sensor mount 1308, which is mounted on cover 1306, provides a stable platform for the visual classification sensor 1307.
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LED lighting board PCB 1608 mounts on the main PCB 1505 at a right angle to extend through the electronics bay cover (not shown) and includes both LED illumination and light level sensor. The light level sensor is monitored by the control computer and is used to set the light level, ensuring uniform intensity of the input port and lane structure 1602 for consistent insect classification.
Under control of the control computer, the air pump 1604 extracts air from the beehive, first passing through the chemical sensor sample chamber 1603, before entering the pump to avoid contamination. Outputs from the chemical sensor (not shown) are transmit to the control computer via SCI and fed to specialized AI algorithms that have been trained to recognize specific chemical signatures. These chemical signatures may include: American foulbrood (Paenibacillus larvae=Bacillus larvae), European foulbrood (Melissococcus pluton), Chalkbrood (Ascophaera apis), Sacbrood, fungus, and other bacteria, all of which emit specific, distinct odors.
The chemical sensor may also be trained to recognize the fragrance that the flowers impart to the nectar and pollen collected by foraging bees, aiding the beekeeper better manage the apiary.
Additionally, the sensor may be trained to recognize the odors imparted by other chemicals the foraging be comes in contact, including insecticides, herbicides and pesticides.
After testing, air pump 1604 reverses and floods the chemical sensor sample chamber 1603 with clean air for a specified time to ensure contamination is minimized.
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Depicted are the port entrance bar 1801, six (6) entrance ports, door mechanism 1803, door drive point 1805, and six (6) ports 1804. In the open position, the door ports 1804 align with the entrance bar ports 1802 and allow entry and exit from the beehive. To close the door, the control computer turns on a stepper motor (not shown) to drive the door forward into the entrance bar approximately 8 mm, which completely misaligns the the door ports 1804 and entrance ports 1802. To reopen the door, the stepper motor reverses and pulls the door approximately 8 mm, again aligning the ports. The depiction of six ports is for example only, the actual number implemented in products may vary as required.
The door drive point 1805 is threaded, or has a captured threaded insert, to translates the stepper motor's rotary motion into linear motion to drive and pull the door open and closed.
With reference now to
The stepper motor comprising both motor and gear box that multiplies the torque of the motor substantially. The motor is engaged periodically by the control computer, moving the door less than a millimeter back and forth, to remove any propolis buildup that may hinder door movement. Door movement is also monitored by the control computer to ensure continuous operation. The door may be closed at the beekeepers option on an automated schedule at preset times such as dusk, and reopened at dawn. The beekeeper may also command the door closed for any activities that require bees remain in hive. Additionally, the door may be automatically closed in response to certain predatory species that would otherwise decimate the colony, such as the Asian Giant Hornet, skunks, or anteaters.
With reference now to
Prior to an insect entering the energized kill zone, the current limiting resistors 2004 and 2005 have no effect and the potential across the electrodes E12003, E22005, and E32007 are equal to the potential applied to inputs 2001 and 2002. An insect entering the kill zone will short electrodes E32007, E22005, and E12003 progressively, however, smaller insects will be killed as it shorts electrode E12003, where resistors 2004 and 2005 will limit the current, thereby reducing the energy available. This reduced energy will kill small insects without scattering the body parts.
Additionally, the control computer will analyze the energy necessary to kill each insect based on the insect classification and adjust the input duty cycle of the voltage applied to 2001 and 2002.
With reference now to
PCB 2101 comprises six (6) identical pattern, each forming the wired parts of the circuit schematic shown in
With reference now to
The lane structure form a barrier so the insects tend to walk in a single line path into the hive.
With reference now to
In order to inspect the lateral surfaces of the insects the inside face of each of the triangular lane structures 2305 are mirrored, reflecting a view of the lateral surfaces to the visual classification sensor. Each of these surfaces is manufactured at the proper angle to view the lateral surface without distortion, optimally, this would result in each mirror being slightly curved, however, an adequate approximation is a planar mirror that is easily and inexpensively manufactured. The mirrored surfaces may be implemented by any means that produces a distortion free image of the lateral surfaces to the visual classification sensor 2303, in the preferred embodiment, thin planar glass mirrors are attached to the lane structures which are manufactured at the correct angle.
Shown in the diagram is the apparatus base 2301, the back case 2302, visual classification sensor 2303, port entrance bar 2304, entrance ports and lane structures (mirrored) 2305 and the ray traces 2306.
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Under control of the control computer, the air pump 3504 extracts air from the beehive, first passing through the chemical sensor sample chamber 3509, before entering the pump to avoid contamination. Outputs from the chemical sensor (not shown) mounted on PCB 3505 are transmit to the control computer via SCI and fed to specialized AI algorithms that have been trained to recognize specific chemical signatures. These chemical signatures may include: American foulbrood (Paenibacillus larvae=Bacillus larvae), European foulbrood (Melissococcus pluton), Chalkbrood (Ascophaera apis), Sacbrood, fungus, and other bacteria, all of which emit specific, distinct odors.
The chemical sensor may also be trained to recognize the fragrance that the flowers impart to the nectar and pollen collected by foraging bees, aiding the beekeeper better manage the apiary.
Additionally, the sensor may be trained to recognize the odors imparted by other chemicals the foraging be comes in contact, including insecticides, herbicides and pesticides.
After testing, air pump 3504 reverses and floods the chemical sensor sample chamber 3509 with clean air for a specified time to ensure contamination is minimized.
As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand a source of power must be provided for all embodiments of the present invention, usually comprising a battery with a solar energy recharging.
The descriptions of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/367,645, filed Jul. 5, 2022, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63367645 | Jul 2022 | US |
