A device and method for incubating and transferring queen cells outside of a honey bee colony

Abstract

The present invention discloses an out-of-colony incubation and transportation device for queen cells of honey bees, comprising a beehive and an adjustment component arranged on the outer side wall of the beehive. A placement area for placing nest frames is provided in the middle of the beehive, a box cover is provided on the beehive, an entrance is provided on the side of the box cover, a temperature and humidity monitoring probe is provided in the placement area, and a controller is provided on the outside of the beehive. The adjustment component is fixed to the beehive through a mounting column, and the adjustment component is composed of a cover plate, a base, an elastic member and a sliding member. The present invention also discloses an out-of-colony incubation and transportation device and method for queen cells of honey bees, and the queen cell storage and incubation device can not only facilitate the incubation of honey bees, but also cool down the box and feed water to the honey bees. The adjustment component can save the time of beekeepers and reduce labor intensity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to bee breeding technology, and in particular to an out-of-colony incubation and transportation device and method for bee queen cells. Background Art

[0002] At present, the domestic bee industry is at a critical stage of transformation and upgrading. Large-scale bee farms will be the inevitable development trend of the modern bee industry, and a complete set of large-scale and professional breeding technologies will gradually replace the existing technical models. Good varieties and good methods are important measures to promote the development of the industry, among which the professional and large-scale production of good varieties of queen bees is an important means to promote the quality improvement of the bee industry.

[0003] Therefore, a honey bee queen cell storage device is designed to ensure the normal development of honey bee queen cells, shorten the time that queen cells occupy in feeding bee colonies, reduce the cost of queen bee breeding, improve the feeding efficiency of feeding bee colonies, and thus improve the economic benefits of queen breeding. However, traditional beehives use artificial watering for watering or cooling inside beehives, and there are many beehives, which is not conducive to long-term operation and increases the labor of beekeepers. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the defects of the above-mentioned prior art, the present invention proposes an out-of-colony incubation and transportation device and method for honeybee queen cells.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is achieved in this way:

[0006] A honey bee queen cell storage and incubation device, characterized in that it comprises:

[0007] A beehive, wherein the middle of the beehive has a placement area for placing nest frames, the beehive is provided with a box cover, a side of the box cover has an entrance, a temperature and humidity monitoring probe is provided in the placement area, and a controller is provided outside the beehive;

[0008] An adjustment component is arranged on the outer side wall of the beehive, and the adjustment component is fixed to the beehive through a mounting column. The adjustment component consists of a cover plate, a base, an elastic member and a sliding member. One end of the cover plate is connected to the base through a linear structure, one side of the base is provided with a first mounting groove, and the other side is provided with a second mounting groove. The middle of the base has a through groove and an activity chamber, the cover plate is provided with a slide groove, the sliding member is installed in the slide groove, the lower end of the sliding member is placed in the activity chamber, a connecting hole is provided between the through groove and the activity chamber, the elastic member is placed in the through groove, the connecting hole and the activity chamber, an elastomer is provided inside the activity chamber, the lower end of the sliding member contacts the elastomer, a symmetrically arranged thickened portion is provided on the inner wall of the activity chamber, and a plurality of wave grooves are provided on the lower end surface of the thickened portion. Limit rods are provided on both sides of the sliding member, and the limit rods are placed in the wave grooves.

[0009] In the present invention, a positioning groove is further provided in the activity chamber, and the elastic body is placed in the positioning groove.

[0010] In the present invention, the elastomer consists of a supporting part, an extending part and an elastic part, the extending part and the elastic part are located at both ends of the supporting part, the extending part is located on both sides of the elastic part, the elastic part extends to the lower end of the supporting part, and the elastic part is placed in the positioning groove.

[0011] In the present invention, an elastic end is provided on one side of the base, the elastic end is connected to the activity chamber, a movable gap is left between the elastic end and the base, and a bending portion is provided at the upper end of the elastic end, and the bending portion bends toward the activity chamber.

[0012] In the present invention, a raised portion is provided on one side of the cover plate, and the raised portion is in contact with the bent portion.

[0013] In the present invention, the elastic member is composed of a first spring portion, a second spring portion and a third spring portion connected in sequence, the first spring portion is in contact with the sliding member, the second spring portion is located in the through groove, and a placement groove for placing the third spring is provided on the base.

[0014] In the present invention, the pitch of the second spring portion is greater than the pitch of the first spring portion and the third spring portion, the pitch of the first spring portion is equal to the pitch of the third spring portion, and the pitch of the second spring portion is 2-4 times the pitch of the first spring portion and the third spring portion.

[0015] A method for transporting a honeybee queen cell storage and incubation device, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

[0016] a. After the queen cells have pupated and sealed in the nursery group, choose a time with good weather and suitable temperature to uniformly fix the queen cells upright in the queen cell storage area, and keep enough space under the queen cells to facilitate the queen bee to leave the hive smoothly;

[0017] b. Monitor the temperature and humidity inside the beehive through the temperature and humidity monitoring probe, and transmit the detected temperature and humidity to the controller, which compares the received real-time temperature and humidity with the preset temperature and humidity;

[0018] c. After the queen cells of honey bees are capped in the nursery colony, they are carefully removed and placed in the queen cell storage area of ​​this device;

[0019] d. After the virgin queens in the queen cell mature and leave the cell, they can move freely in the isolated queen placement area and eat the royal jelly feed in the feed placement area;

[0020] d1. When the virgin queen leaves the cell, add fresh royal jelly feed to the placement area through the entrance on the beehive to ensure the queen bee's nutritional needs in a short period of time;

[0021] d2. When it is necessary to introduce a virgin queen to the mating colony, each cell can be removed from the queen preservation device in advance, and young bees can be caught from the mating colony and added to the queen preservation area. After the virgin queen is accepted, the cell can be taken out for recycling.

[0022] The device for incubating and transferring queen cells outside the colony of bees according to the present invention has the following beneficial effects: the device for incubating and transferring queen cells outside the colony of bees is not only conducive to the incubation of bees, but also can cool down the box and feed water to the bees. The adjustment components can save the beekeeper's time and reduce the labor intensity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the out-of-colony incubation and transportation device of the honeybee queen cell of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the internal structure;

[0025] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the nest frame and water storage structure;

[0026] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the regulating components in FIG.

[0027] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A top view of

[0028] Figure 6 for Figure 5 The cross-sectional view at AA in FIG.

[0029] Figure 7 for Figure 4 Another state structure diagram of ;

[0030] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the base and elastic body structure;

[0031] Fig. 9 for Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the elastic body structure;

[0032] Fig.10 for Figure 7 The cross-section of the base in

[0033] Fig.11 for Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the elastic member structure;

[0034] Fig.12 for Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the sliding member structure in FIG.

[0035] Fig.13 for Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the cover structure in FIG.

[0036] Fig.14 for Fig.13 A schematic diagram of the structure in another direction;

[0037] Fig.15 for Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the sliding member and cover structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0039] like Figures 1 to 15 As shown, the off-colony incubation and transfer device of the queen cell of honey bees of the present invention comprises a beehive 1 and an adjusting component 2 arranged on the outer side wall of the beehive 1. The beehive 1 is used for sealed habitat and honey production, and the adjusting component 2 is used by the beekeeper to control the flow of cooling liquid flowing into the inside of the beehive 1. The cooling liquid can be drinking water to facilitate the bees to drink water, and at the same time, it can cool the inside of the beehive 1 in summer.

[0040] The beehive 1 has a placement area 4 in the middle for placing the nest frame 3. The installation area 4 is open upwards and has notches 40 on both sides for sealed entry, which cooperate with the entry port. It also has a fixing port 41 for positioning the nest frame 3, and both sides of the nest frame 3 have fixing ends 42 that cooperate with the fixing port 41.

[0041] The beehive 1 is provided with a box cover 43, and the side of the box cover 43 has an entrance 44, a temperature and humidity monitoring probe is provided in the placement area 4, and a controller (not shown in the figure) is provided outside the beehive 1. At the same time, the outer wall of the beehive 1 is provided with a heater (not shown in the figure) for heating the inside of the beehive 1, and also with a cooler (not shown in the figure) for cooling the inside of the beehive 1. The controller can be used to control the heater and the cooler.

[0042] The box cover 1 also has a placement rod 45, which has a hook 46 and a positioning end 47 at the lower end, and the box cover 1 has a mounting hole 48 that matches the positioning end 47. There is also a strip groove 49 inside the beehive 1, and a water storage member 50 inside the beehive 1. When the water storage member 50 encounters water, it can make the inside moist, so that the water remains in the water storage member 50, so that the bees can drink and cool down the box. The lower end of the water storage member 50 is installed in the strip groove 49 through a strip portion 51. The outer wall of the beehive 1 has a through hole 52. When the inside of the beehive 1 needs to be cooled or watered, a drainage tube 6 is used, a water bag is placed on the hook 46, and then one end of the drainage tube 6 is connected to it, and the other end is placed inside the beehive 1 through the through hole 52, and at the upper end of the water storage member 50, so that the water in the drainage tube 6 can drip onto the water storage member 50, moistening the water storage member 50, achieving the effect of watering and cooling. Excess water seeping out of the water storage member 50 will be discharged from the strip groove 49 at the lower end.

[0043] The adjustment component 2 is fixed to the beehive 1 via a mounting post. The rear end of the base 8 has a retaining hole 53 , which cooperates with the mounting post so that the adjustment component 2 can be fixed to the outside of the beehive 1 .

[0044] The regulating assembly 2 is arranged in the middle of the drainage tube 6, and is used to limit the liquid in the drainage tube 6. The drainage tube 6 is squeezed by the elastic force of the elastic member 5, so that the aperture in the drainage tube 6 becomes smaller. The diameter of the aperture can be changed as needed to facilitate the beekeeper to control the flow rate of the liquid and the speed at which the liquid flows down, so that the liquid can flow down for a long time without the beekeeper frequently adding liquid.

[0045] The adjustment assembly 2 is composed of a cover plate 7, a base 8, an elastic member 5 and a sliding member 9. One end of the cover plate 7 is connected to the base 8 through a linear structure, and the cover plate 7 and the base 8 are integrally formed. During manufacturing, a linear structure is formed between the cover plate 7 and the base 8, so that the cover plate 7 and the base 8 are hingedly connected.

[0046] A first mounting groove 10 is provided on one side of the base 8, and a second mounting groove 11 is provided on the other side. The first mounting groove 10 and the second mounting groove 11 are used to fix the drainage tube 6. The first mounting groove 10 and the second mounting groove 11 are arc-shaped grooves, and the arc angle of the arc-shaped groove is greater than 180°, which is a major arc. It is convenient to install the drainage tube 6 in the first mounting groove 10 and the second mounting groove 11. When installing the drainage tube 6, the drainage tube 6 is first placed in the first mounting groove 10 and the second mounting groove 11, so that the drainage tube 6 between the first mounting groove 10 and the second mounting groove 11 is placed in the through groove 12 and placed in the second spring portion 18.

[0047] The base 8 has a through groove 12 and an active chamber 13 in the middle. The cover plate 7 has a slide groove 14, in which the sliding member 9 is installed, and the lower end of the sliding member 9 is placed in the active chamber 13. A connecting hole 15 is provided between the through groove 12 and the active chamber 13, and the connecting hole 15 has an inclined surface 16 on one side facing the active chamber 13, which is conducive to guiding the elastic member 5 so that the first spring part 17 enters the through groove 12 from the active chamber 13.

[0048] The elastic member 5 is placed in the through groove 12, the connecting hole 15 and the active chamber 13. The elastic member 5 is composed of a first spring portion 17, a second spring portion 18 and a third spring portion 19 connected in sequence, the first spring portion 17 is located in the active chamber 13, the second spring portion 18 is located in the through groove 12, and the third spring portion 19 is located in the placement groove 20. The first spring portion 17 contacts the sliding member 9, the second spring portion 18 is located in the through groove 12, and the base 8 is provided with a placement groove 20 for placing the third spring.

[0049] The diameter of the first spring portion 17 is equal to the diameter of the second spring portion 18, and the cross-section of the third spring portion 19 is frustoconical. The third spring portion 19 can stably place the elastic member 5 in the placement groove 20, and the placement groove 20 can limit the elastic member 5 from being offset during compression.

[0050] The pitch of the second spring portion 18 is greater than the pitch of the first spring portion 17 and the third spring portion 19, and the pitch of the first spring portion 17 is equal to the pitch of the third spring portion 19. The pitch of the second spring portion 18 is 2-4 times the pitch of the first spring portion 17 and the third spring portion 19. The larger pitch of the second spring portion 18 enables the drainage tube 6 to be placed in the pitch region 21 between the second spring portions 18.

[0051] An elastic body 22 is provided inside the activity chamber 13, and the elastic body 22 consists of a supporting portion 23, an extending portion 24 and an elastic portion 25. The extending portion 24 and the elastic portion 25 are located at both ends of the supporting portion 23, and the extending portion 24 is located on both sides of the elastic portion 25. The elastic portion 25 extends to the lower end of the supporting portion 23, and the elastic portion 25 is placed in the positioning groove 26.

[0052] The lower end of the sliding member 9 contacts the elastic body 22. The sliding member 9 is composed of a sliding part 27, a connecting column 28, a pushing part 29 and a limiting rod 30. The pushing part 29 is provided with a positioning hole 31. One end of the elastic member 5 is placed in the positioning hole 31. The connecting column 28 is located in the slide groove 14. A contact part 32 is also provided at the lower end of the pushing part 29. The contact part 32 contacts the elastic body 22. The limiting rod 30 is located on both sides of the pushing part 29. The distance between the limiting rods 30 and the limiting rods 30 is h1. The length of the slide groove 14 is h2, h1<h2, and the width of the slide groove 14 is greater than the width of the contact part 32, which is conducive to the installation of the sliding member 9 from the slide groove 14. The distance between the inner wall a and the inner wall a of the activity chamber 13 is h3, h3>h1, so that the sliding member 9 can rotate between the inner wall a and the inner wall a.

[0053] When installing the sliding member 9, first place the pusher 29 and the limit rod 30 on the sliding member 9 in the slide groove 14, then rotate the sliding member 27 so that the sliding member 9, which is originally parallel to the slide groove 14, rotates 90 degrees so that the sliding member 9 is perpendicular to the slide groove 14. When the sliding member 9 is placed in the slide groove 14, the elastic body 22 is compressed, and then the limit rod 30 is placed in the wave groove 33.

[0054] When the sliding member 9 is pressed first and then pushed, the elastic body 22 is compressed downward by force, and the sliding member 9 slides in the direction of the through groove 12, so that the limiting rod 30 is placed in different wave grooves 33, so that the elastic member 5 is compressed, so that the drainage tube 6 in the pitch area 21 in the middle of the second spring part 18 is clamped, thereby controlling the flow rate of liquid discharged from the drainage tube 6.

[0055] The inner wall of the activity chamber 13 is provided with a symmetrically arranged thickened portion 34, and the lower end surface of the thickened portion 34 is provided with a plurality of wave grooves 33. The two sides of the sliding member 9 are provided with a limit rod 30, and the limit rod 30 is placed in the wave groove 33.

[0056] A positioning groove 26 is further provided in the activity chamber 13 , and the elastic body 22 is placed in the positioning groove 26 . The positioning groove 26 can limit the sliding position of the elastic body 22 .

[0057] An elastic end 35 is provided on one side of the base 8, and the elastic end 35 is connected to the activity chamber 13. An activity gap 36 is left between the elastic end 35 and the base 8, and a bending portion 37 is provided on the upper end of the elastic end 35, and the bending portion 37 is bent toward the activity chamber 13. Since there is an activity gap 36 between the elastic end 35 and the base 8, the elastic end 35 can be deformed when subjected to force. A raised portion 38 is provided on one side of the cover plate 7, and the raised portion 38 is in contact with the bent portion 37.

[0058] When the cover plate 7 needs to be fixed by the base 8 , the cover plate 7 is directly pressed with force so that the raised portion 38 pushes the bent portion 37 , causing the elastic end 35 to deform, thereby limiting the position of the raised portion 38 through the bent portion 37 .

[0059] The lower surface of the cover plate 7 is provided with symmetrically arranged limit bodies 39, which are located on both sides of the slide slot 14. The elastic member 5 is located at the lower end of the slide slot 14 and at the middle of the lower end of the limit bodies 39. When the sliding member 9 pushes the elastic member 5, the elastic member 5 is compressed, thereby preventing the first spring portion 17 in the elastic member 5 from being distorted due to force.

[0060] When in use, one only needs to hold the base 8 and press the sliding part 27 on the sliding member 9 so that the elastic body 22 is compressed by force, and then push the sliding part 27 to move in the direction of the through groove 12, so that the elastic member 5 is compressed and the drainage tube 6 is clamped, thereby controlling the discharge speed of the liquid in the drainage tube 6.

[0061] The method for incubating and transporting queen cells outside of a honey bee colony comprises the following steps:

[0062] a. After the queen cells have pupated and capped in the nursery group, choose a time with good weather and suitable temperature to uniformly fix the queen cells upright in the queen cell storage area, and keep enough space under the queen cells to facilitate the queen bee to leave the hive smoothly. The storage area is the area between the nest frames.

[0063] b. Monitor the temperature and humidity inside the beehive through the temperature and humidity monitoring probe, and transmit the detected temperature and humidity to the controller, which compares the received real-time temperature and humidity with the preset temperature and humidity.

[0064] b1. If the real-time temperature and humidity are greater than the preset temperature, the controller generates a temperature reduction adjustment command and transmits the control command to the control valve. The control valve lowers the temperature in the box after receiving the temperature reduction adjustment command. At this time, the controller starts the air cooler to work and lower the temperature of the beehive.

[0065] b2. If the real-time temperature is lower than the preset temperature, the controller generates a temperature increase adjustment command and transmits the control command to the control valve. The control valve increases the temperature and humidity in the box after receiving the temperature decrease adjustment command. The controller controls the heater to start, so that the temperature in the beehive increases.

[0066] c. After the queen cells of bees are capped in the breeding colony, they should be carefully removed and placed in the queen cell storage area of ​​this device.

[0067] d. After the virgin queens in the queen cells mature and leave the cells, they can move freely in the isolated queen placement areas and can eat the royal jelly feed in the feed placement area.

[0068] d1. When the virgin queen leaves the cell, add fresh royal jelly feed to the placement area through the entrance on the beehive to ensure the queen bee's short-term nutritional needs.

[0069] d2. When it is necessary to introduce a virgin queen to the mating colony, each cell can be removed from the queen preservation device in advance, and young bees can be caught from the mating colony and added to the queen preservation area. After the virgin queen is accepted, the cell can be taken out for recycling.

[0070] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for incubating and transporting queen cells outside of a honey bee colony, characterized in that: include: A beehive, wherein the middle of the beehive has a placement area for placing nest frames, the beehive is provided with a box cover, a side of the box cover has an entrance, a temperature and humidity monitoring probe is provided in the placement area, and a controller is provided outside the beehive; An adjusting component is arranged on the outer side wall of the beehive, and the adjusting component is fixed on the beehive through a mounting column. The adjusting component consists of a cover plate, a base, an elastic member and a sliding member. One end of the cover plate is connected to the base through a linear structure, one side of the base is provided with a first mounting groove, and the other side is provided with a second mounting groove. The middle of the base has a through groove and an activity chamber, the cover plate is provided with a slide groove, the sliding member is installed in the slide groove, the lower end of the sliding member is placed in the activity chamber, a connecting hole is provided between the through groove and the activity chamber, the elastic member is placed in the through groove, the connecting hole and the activity chamber, an elastic body is provided inside the activity chamber, the lower end of the sliding member contacts the elastic body, a symmetrically arranged thickened portion is provided on the inner wall of the activity chamber, and a plurality of wave grooves are provided on the lower end surface of the thickened portion, and limit rods are provided on both sides of the sliding member, and the limit rods are placed in the wave grooves; The elastic member is composed of a first spring portion, a second spring portion and a third spring portion connected in sequence, the first spring portion is in contact with the sliding member, the second spring portion is located in the through groove, and the base is provided with a placement groove for placing the third spring; The pitch of the second spring portion is greater than the pitch of the first spring portion and the third spring portion, the pitch of the first spring portion is equal to the pitch of the third spring portion, and the pitch of the second spring portion is 2-4 times the pitch of the first spring portion and the third spring portion; A water storage part is arranged inside the beehive, and a water storage bag is arranged outside the beehive. The water storage bag and the water storage part are connected by a drainage tube. The adjustment component is arranged in the middle of the drainage tube. The drainage tube is squeezed by the elastic force of the elastic part in the adjustment component so that the aperture of the drainage tube becomes smaller. The drainage tube is installed in the first installation groove and the second installation groove. The drainage tube between the first installation groove and the second installation groove is placed in the through groove and in the second spring part of the elastic part.

2. The device for incubating and transporting queen cells outside of a honey bee colony according to claim 1, characterized in that: The activity chamber is also provided with a positioning groove, and the elastic body is placed in the positioning groove.

3. The device for incubating and transporting queen cells outside of a honey bee colony according to claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic body consists of a supporting part, an extending part and an elastic part, the extending part and the elastic part are located at two ends of the supporting part, the extending part is located at both sides of the elastic part, the elastic part extends to the lower end of the supporting part, and the elastic part is placed in the positioning groove.

4. The device for incubating and transporting queen cells outside of a honey bee colony according to claim 1, characterized in that: An elastic end is provided on one side of the base, the elastic end is connected to the activity chamber, an activity gap is left between the elastic end and the base, and a bending portion is provided on the upper end of the elastic end, and the bending portion is bent toward the activity chamber.

5. The device for incubating and transporting queen cells outside of a honey bee colony according to claim 4, characterized in that: A raised portion is provided on one side of the cover plate, and the raised portion contacts the bent portion.

6. A method for incubating and transporting queen cells outside of a honey bee colony, the method being implemented in the apparatus for incubating and transporting queen cells outside of a honey bee colony as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The steps include: a. After the queen cells have pupated and sealed in the nursery group, choose a time with good weather and suitable temperature to uniformly fix the queen cells upright in the queen cell storage area, and keep enough space under the queen cells to facilitate the queen bee to leave the hive smoothly; b. Monitor the temperature and humidity inside the beehive through the temperature and humidity monitoring probe, and transmit the detected temperature and humidity to the controller, which compares the received real-time temperature and humidity with the preset temperature and humidity; c. After the queen cells of honey bees are capped in the nursery colony, they are carefully removed and placed in the queen cell storage area of ​​this device; d. After the virgin queens in the queen cell mature and leave the cell, they can move freely in the isolated queen placement area and eat the royal jelly feed in the feed placement area; d1. When the virgin queen leaves the cell, add fresh royal jelly feed to the placement area through the entrance on the beehive to ensure the queen bee's nutritional needs in a short period of time; d2. When it is necessary to introduce a virgin queen to the mating colony, each cell can be removed from the queen preservation device in advance, and young bees can be caught from the mating colony and added to the queen preservation area. After the virgin queen is accepted, the cell can be taken out for recycling.

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