Non-contact queen bee intermediating cage

Abstract

The utility model relates to a non-contact queen bee intervening cage, and belongs to the technical field of queen bee intervening equipment. According to the queen bee cage device, the sleeving shell, the sliding block assemblies and the queen bee cage modules form a multi-layer nested drawer type structure, so that the queen bee cage device special for non-contact intervention of queen bees is formed; the queen bee cage inner container and the queen bee in the queen bee cage inner container can intervene into the beehive only through external operation by driving the queen bee cage shell and matching with the action of the sliding block assembly, and the defect that the queen bee cage inner container is pushed in an internal contact mode in a traditional mode is directly overcome.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a contactless queen bee intervention cage and belongs to the technical field of queen bee intervention equipment. Background Art

[0002] During the beekeeping process, bee colonies occasionally lose their queens, that is, the queen bee dies due to various reasons. When a bee colony loses its queen and can no longer breed a new queen on its own (for example, the new queen fails to mate), human intervention is required to replace the queen. The usual practice is to use a queen cage to carry the new queen and transfer it to the queenless bee colony to replace the new queen. During the use of the queen cages on the market, the beekeeper needs to open the beehive, hold the queen cage in hand, insert it into the beehive, and open the cage. The whole process requires certain skills and will inevitably come into contact with the bees. Therefore, for novice beekeepers or amateur beekeepers, it is quite difficult, the success rate is not high, and the operability is low, which often leads to the failure of the queen introduction process.

[0003] Currently, there are only queen bee luring devices and queen beehives on the market, such as those shown in CN108419718B. However, this device and similar devices can only solve the problem of how to successfully lure the queen bee. During the process of transferring the queen bee to the beehive, it is still necessary to manually open the beehive and enter the beehive to insert the queen. Similarly, various situations caused by contact during the queen insertion process cannot be avoided.

[0004] Therefore, in order to reduce the probability of failure in queen introduction and improve the operability of queen introduction, it is particularly important to design and invent a device that can intervene in the queen without touching the bees. Utility Model Content

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the utility model provides a contactless cage for feeding kings, comprising:

[0006] A sleeve housing is fixed to the opening on the beehive, one end of the sleeve housing is provided with a sleeve opening, and the other end opposite to the sleeve opening is a closed end; a rear end of the sleeve housing is provided with a bee entrance and exit connected to the inside of the beehive, which is arranged near the closed end;

[0007] The slider assembly includes a slider and a spring built into the sleeve housing; one end of the spring abuts against the closed end of the sleeve housing, and the other end is connected to the slider; when the spring is in a natural state, the slider is in a position to completely close the bee entrance and exit; when the spring is in a compressed state, the slider opens the bee entrance and exit;

[0008] A cage module is detachably arranged inside the sleeve shell, and the cage module includes a cage shell and a cage liner nested inside the cage shell;

[0009] When the inner liner of the cage module moves toward the closed end inside the sleeve shell, the inner liner of the cage squeezes the slider assembly, and the slider is driven to open the entrance and exit for bees under the compression of the spring.

[0010] Furthermore, the sleeve shell, queen cage shell, and queen cage liner are all provided with a plurality of strip-shaped gaps arranged in an array, and the width of the strip-shaped gaps is smaller than the maximum width of the bee, so that the queen bee can breathe without slipping out of the strip-shaped gaps; the length of the strip-shaped gaps can be set long enough, and during the movement of the queen cage module inside the sleeve shell, the strip-shaped gaps of the sleeve shell, queen cage shell, and queen cage liner will not be completely closed under the condition of mutual misalignment, thereby ensuring that the external air is always connected to the interior of the queen cage module.

[0011] Furthermore, protective grooves are provided on both sides of the strip-shaped gaps in the queen cage shell and the queen cage liner. The depth of the protective grooves is greater than the maximum diameter of the queen bee's legs, and the length of the protective grooves is greater than the length of the queen bee's legs. After the protective grooves are provided, when the strip-shaped gaps in the connecting shell and the queen cage shell are misaligned, or when the strip-shaped gaps in the queen cage shell and the queen cage liner are misaligned, a protective space is formed between the protective grooves in the queen cage shell and the connecting shell, or between the protective grooves in the queen cage liner and the queen cage shell. Even if part of the queen bee's limbs are trapped in the misaligned surface between the protective grooves in the queen cage shell and the connecting shell, or between the protective grooves in the queen cage liner and the queen cage shell, the protective space will prevent them from being squeezed, thus facilitating the queen bee's escape from the danger of having her legs pinched.

[0012] Furthermore, the rear end of the sleeve housing is provided with multiple first fixing holes, through which the kit housing and the beehive are connected via the first fixing holes and fasteners. A first extension is provided at the rear end of the sleeve housing, also provided with first fixing holes. A second extension is provided on the periphery of the sleeve, and the second extension is provided with second fixing holes. The cage housing may also be provided with a corresponding third extension. When the cage housing is inserted into the sleeve housing, the third extension mates with the second extension via fasteners to secure it. The second extension also serves as a positioning mechanism.

[0013] Furthermore, the slider is provided with a limit slot, one end of which is provided with an inclined limit protrusion, and the sleeve housing is provided with an inclined limit block that can cooperate with the limit slot. Therefore, the movement of the slider is limited to the length of the limit slot, and it is not easy to disengage due to the obstruction of the limit protrusion.

[0014] Furthermore, the queen bee cage inner shell is a rectangular frame, and a baffle is provided on one side of the front end of the queen bee cage inner shell near the closed end of the sleeve shell; the side of the queen bee cage inner shell is provided with a bayonet, and the side of the queen bee cage shell is provided with a sliding groove that can cooperate with the bayonet, and the length of the sliding groove is less than or equal to the width of the baffle. When the queen bee needs to be put into the queen bee cage inner shell, the queen bee cage inner shell needs to be pushed out from the queen bee cage shell and a dislocation space is formed near the closed end. Since the queen bee cage inner shell is a rectangular frame and is closed by a baffle at the front end (because the length of the sliding groove is less than or equal to the width of the baffle, even if the queen bee cage inner shell moves to the maximum stroke, the baffle can block the front end of the dislocation space), the dislocation space only has a small opening at the rear end for the queen bee to enter, and the queen bee will not escape from the front end, thus avoiding leakage.

[0015] Furthermore, at least one feeding trough is provided on the side of the queen cage inner liner away from the closed end of the sleeve shell, and the feeding trough is connected to other space areas inside the queen cage inner liner. Feed can be pre-placed in the feeding trough for temporary supply to the accompanying guard worker bees after they enter the queen cage inner liner, and the guard worker bees are fed after the supply; the queen bee is provided with an injection hole connected to the feeding trough on the side of the queen cage inner liner away from the closed end of the sleeve shell, which is used to add feed to the feeding trough.

[0016] Furthermore, a handle is provided on a side of the inner liner of the royal cage away from the closed end of the sleeve shell, and a breathing hole is provided on a side of the inner liner of the royal cage close to the closed end of the sleeve shell.

[0017] Furthermore, a stopper is provided on one side of the cage liner near the closed end of the sleeved outer shell, and a stopper groove adapted to fit the stopper is provided at a corresponding position on the edge of the cage outer shell. The cooperation between the stopper and the stopper groove prevents the cage liner from moving further into the cage outer shell after reaching the edge of the cage, thereby limiting the travel of the cage liner and preventing it from sinking into the cage outer shell and causing inconvenience.

[0018] Beneficial effects of the utility model:

[0019] This utility model utilizes a multi-layered, nested drawer-like structure composed of a sleeve housing, a slider assembly, and a queen cage module to create a queen cage device specifically designed for contactless queen insertion. Simply by pre-fixing the sleeve housing to an opening in the beehive, the user can insert the queen bee from the queen cage liner into the hive by driving the queen cage housing and cooperating with the slider assembly, without having to touch the internal hive. This directly addresses the drawbacks of traditional methods of internal contact-based pushing of the queen cage liner. Furthermore, while providing baffles and other features to ensure the queen cage's protective properties, this utility model also incorporates strip-shaped gaps, breathing holes, and other structures to ensure air exchange between the inside and outside of the cage. Furthermore, a protective groove is provided to prevent the queen bee from being squeezed or pinched within the misaligned surfaces of the interlayer. This ingeniously ensures the safety and efficiency of the queen insertion process and effectively prevents the queen bee from escaping. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure installed on a beehive in one embodiment of the utility model (the queen cage module has been inserted);

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure installed on a beehive in one embodiment of the utility model (with the queen cage module inserted);

[0022] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of a sleeve housing in one embodiment of the present invention (mainly showing the front end);

[0023] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the sleeve housing in one embodiment of the present invention (mainly showing the rear end face);

[0024] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of a slider assembly in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the installation direction of the slider assembly before it is inserted into the housing of the kit in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the spring in a natural state after the slider assembly is inserted into the housing of the kit in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of the king cage module in one embodiment of the present invention (showing the front end);

[0028] Figure 9 This is a structural diagram of the king cage shell in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 10 This is a schematic structural diagram of the inner container of a king cage in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 11 This is a structural diagram of the king cage module in one embodiment of the present invention (showing the rear end face);

[0031] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the inside of a beehive, with the queen cage module not pushed into the sleeve housing (the slider closes the entrance and exit for bees);

[0032] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, in which the queen cage module is fully pushed into the sleeve shell as seen from the inside of the beehive (the slider fully opens the bee entrance and exit).

[0033] In the figure: 1. Socket housing; 2. Slider assembly; 3. Queen cage module; 4. Beehive; 5. Strip gap;

[0034] 11. Socket; 12. Closed end; 13. Bee entrance and exit; 14. First fixing hole; 15. First extension; 16. Second extension; 17. Second fixing hole; 18. Limit block;

[0035] 21. Slider; 22. Spring; 23. Limiting groove; 24. Limiting protrusion;

[0036] 31. King cage shell; 32. King cage liner; 311. Sliding slot; 312. Blocking slot; 313. Third extension; 321. Baffle; 322. Clamp; 323. Feeding trough; 324. Injection port; 325. Handle; 326. Breathing hole; 327. Blocking piece;

[0037] 51. Protection slot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The following is a clear and complete description of the technical solution of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0039] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "center," "up," "down," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inside," and "outside" and the like, indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate the description of this utility model and simplify the description. They do not indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. The terms "first position" and "second position" refer to two different positions.

[0040] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed or detachable connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0041] Example 1

[0042] like Figures 1-11 The utility model provides a contactless cage, comprising:

[0043] A sleeve housing 1 is fixed to an opening on the beehive 4. One end of the sleeve housing 1 is provided with a sleeve opening 11, and the other end opposite to the sleeve opening 11 is a closed end 12. The rear end of the sleeve housing 1 is provided with a bee entrance 13 disposed near the closed end 12 and communicating with the interior of the beehive 4.

[0044] The slider assembly 2 includes a slider 21 and a spring 22 built into the sleeve housing 1. One end of the spring 22 abuts against the closed end 12 of the sleeve housing 1, and the other end is connected to the slider 21. When the spring 22 is in a natural state, the slider 21 is in a position to completely close the bee entrance 13. When the spring 22 is in a compressed state, the slider 21 opens the bee entrance 13.

[0045] The cage module 3 is detachably arranged inside the sleeve shell 1, and the cage module 3 includes a cage shell 31 and a cage liner 32 nested inside the cage shell 31;

[0046] When the cage liner 32 of the cage module 3 is driven to move toward the closed end 12 inside the sleeve shell 1, the cage liner 32 squeezes the slider assembly 2, and the slider 21 is driven to open the bee entrance and exit 13 under the compression action of the spring 22.

[0047] The sleeve shell 1, the queen cage shell 31, and the queen cage liner 32 are all provided with a plurality of strip-shaped gaps 5 arranged in an array. The width of the strip-shaped gaps 5 is smaller than the maximum width of the bee, so that the queen bee can breathe without slipping out of the strip-shaped gaps 5; the length of the strip-shaped gaps 5 can be set to be long enough. During the movement of the queen cage module 3 inside the sleeve shell 1, the strip-shaped gaps 5 of the sleeve shell 1, the queen cage shell 31, and the queen cage liner 32 will not be completely closed under the condition of mutual misalignment, thereby ensuring that the external air is always connected to the interior of the queen cage module 3.

[0048] Protective grooves 51 are provided on both sides of the strip-shaped gaps 5 in the queen bee's outer shell 31 and the inner shell 32. The depth of the protective grooves 51 is greater than the maximum diameter of the queen bee's legs, and the length of the protective grooves 51 is greater than the length of the queen bee's legs. After the protective grooves 51 are provided, when the strip-shaped gaps 5 in the connecting shell 1 and the queen bee's outer shell 31 are misaligned, or when the strip-shaped gaps 5 in the queen bee's outer shell 31 and the inner shell 32 are misaligned, a protective space is formed between the protective grooves in the queen bee's outer shell 31 and the connecting shell 1, or between the protective grooves in the inner shell 32 and the queen bee's outer shell 31. Even if part of the queen bee's limbs are trapped in the misaligned surface between the protective grooves in the queen bee's outer shell 31 and the connecting shell 1, or between the protective grooves in the inner shell 32 and the queen bee's outer shell 31, the protective space will prevent them from being squeezed, thus facilitating the queen bee's legs from being pinched off.

[0049] The rear end of the sleeve housing 1 is provided with a plurality of first fixing holes 14, which are used to connect the kit housing 1 and the beehive 4 through these first fixing holes 14 and fasteners. A first extension 15 is also provided at the rear end of the sleeve housing 1, which is also provided with first fixing holes 14. A second extension 16 is provided on the periphery of the socket 11, which is provided with second fixing holes 17. The cage housing 31 may also be provided with a corresponding third extension 313. When the cage housing 31 is inserted into the sleeve housing, the third extension 313 and the second extension 16 are fastened together via fasteners. The second extension 16 itself also serves as a positioning mechanism.

[0050] The slider 21 is provided with a limit slot 23, one end of which is provided with an inclined limit protrusion 24. The sleeve housing 31 is provided with an inclined limit block 18 that fits into the limit slot 23. Therefore, the movement of the slider 21 is limited to the length of the limit slot 23, and the limit protrusion 24 prevents it from disengaging.

[0051] The queen bee cage liner 32 is a rectangular frame. A baffle 321 is provided at the front end of the queen bee cage liner 32, near the closed end of the housing 1. A latch 322 is provided on the side of the queen bee cage liner 32, and a sliding slot 311 is provided on the side of the queen bee cage housing 31, which fits the latch 322. The length of the sliding slot 311 is less than or equal to the width of the baffle 321. When a queen bee is to be released into the queen bee cage liner 32, the queen bee cage liner 32 is pushed out of the housing 31, creating a misaligned space near the closed end 12. Because the queen bee cage liner 32 is a rectangular frame and has a baffle 321 at the front end to seal it (because the length of the sliding slot 311 is less than or equal to the width of the baffle 321, even if the queen bee cage liner 32 is moved to its maximum travel, the baffle 321 can still block the front end of the misaligned space). Therefore, only a small opening at the rear end of the misaligned space is open for the queen bee to enter, preventing the queen bee from escaping from the front end, thus preventing leakage.

[0052] Two feeding troughs 323 are provided on the side of the king cage inner liner 32 away from the closed end 12 of the sleeve shell. The feeding troughs 323 are connected to other space areas inside the king cage inner liner 32. Feed can be pre-placed in the feeding troughs 323 for temporary supply to the accompanying guard worker bees after they enter the king cage inner liner 32; the king cage inner liner 32 is provided on the side of the closed end 12 of the sleeve shell 1 with an injection hole 324 connected to the feeding trough 323, which is used to add feed to the feeding trough 323.

[0053] The side of the cage liner 32 away from the closed end 12 of the sleeve shell 1 is provided with a handle 325, and the side of the cage liner 32 close to the closed end 12 of the sleeve shell 1 is provided with a breathing hole 326. The cage module 3 can be quickly pulled out through the handle 325.

[0054] A stopper 327 is provided on the side of the cage inner container 32 near the closed end 12 of the sleeve shell 1, and a stopper groove 312 is provided at a corresponding position on the edge of the cage shell 31 to accommodate the stopper 327. The cooperation between the stopper 327 and the stopper groove 312 prevents the cage inner container 32 from moving further into the cage shell 31 when it reaches the edge of the cage shell 31, limiting the travel of the cage inner container 32 and preventing it from sinking into the cage shell 31 and causing inconvenience.

[0055] The usage of this utility model:

[0056] Step 1: Place nutrients in the feeding trough 323 of the cage liner 32 in advance, then slowly slide a portion of the cage liner 32 into the cage shell 31. The bayonet 322 of the cage liner 32 can be slightly deformed to fit into the sliding groove 311 of the cage shell 31. Due to the inclined design of the bayonet 322, the cage liner 32 cannot be removed from the cage shell 31 again, and the front end of the misaligned space between the cage shell 31 and the cage liner 32 has been closed by the baffle 321.

[0057] Step 2: Push the queen cage liner 32 so that it is partially pushed out of the queen cage outer shell 31, place the queen bee into the queen cage liner 32 through the rear end opening of the dislocation space, and then gently return the queen cage liner 32 to its original position until the blocking member 327 engages with the blocking groove 312, thereby imprisoning the queen bee in the queen cage liner 32 and producing the queen cage module 3 with the queen bee imprisoned;

[0058] Step 3: After the user receives the queen cage module 3 with the queen bee imprisoned, the user inserts the queen cage module 3 into the socket module 1 through the socket interface 11 of the socket module 1. At this time, the socket module 1 and the queen cage module 3 can be fixed by the second extension portion 16 and the third extension portion 313. As the queen cage module 3 is further pushed in, the slider 21 in the socket module 1 abuts against the queen cage liner 32 of the queen cage module 3, but the slider 21 does not move. Figure 12 As shown, the bee entrance and exit 13 is in a state of being closed by the slider 21.

[0059] Step 4: The user continues to push the cage liner 32. During the movement, the cage liner 32 squeezes the slider 21 in the socket module and compresses the spring 22. At this time, a gap will be left between the cage liner 32 and the cage shell 31 due to misalignment. Figure 13 As shown, this gap corresponds to the bee entrance and exit 13 of the socket module 1 , and the queen bee can enter the beehive 4 along the bee entrance and exit 13 .

[0060] Step 5: Wait until the queen bee enters the beehive 4, and the user releases his hand. Due to the reset action of the spring 22 inside the socket module 1, the slider 21 is pushed in the opposite direction, and the bee entrance and exit 13 is closed again; the queen cage liner 32 is also reset along the original moving path. At this time, the queen cage module 3 can be removed, thereby realizing external operation and contactless intervention in the queen bee operation.

[0061] Sometimes, after the queen cage module 3 is inserted into the socket module 1, it may take some time for the queen bee to enter the hive 4 (for example, until the new queen bee has fully mixed with the swarm's scent). In this case, the queen cage liner 32 can be temporarily placed in the socket module 1 without pushing it forward. Because the strip-shaped gap 5 between the queen cage module 3 and the socket module 1 corresponds to each other, the scent of the hive 4 and the queen cage liner 32 will gradually mix and converge, allowing worker bees to feed the queen bee in the queen cage through the strip-shaped gap 5. Once the swarm's scent is fully mixed, the queen cage liner 32 can be pushed forward to introduce the queen bee.

[0062] like Figure 12-13 The opening area on the beehive 4 should be at least larger than the sum of the areas of a row of strip slits 5 and the sealed entrance and exit, so as to ensure that the worker bees can feed the queen bee through the strip slits 5.

[0063] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with this technology may make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the definition of the claims.

Claims

1. A contactless cage, characterized in that: include: A sleeve housing is fixed to the opening on the beehive, one end of the sleeve housing is provided with a sleeve opening, and the other end opposite to the sleeve opening is a closed end; a rear end of the sleeve housing is provided with a bee entrance and exit connected to the inside of the beehive, which is arranged near the closed end; The slider assembly includes a slider and a spring built into the sleeve housing; one end of the spring abuts against the closed end of the sleeve housing, and the other end is connected to the slider; when the spring is in a natural state, the slider is in a position to completely close the bee entrance and exit; when the spring is in a compressed state, the slider opens the bee entrance and exit; A cage module is detachably arranged inside the sleeve shell, and the cage module includes a cage shell and a cage liner nested inside the cage shell; When the inner liner of the cage module moves toward the closed end inside the sleeve shell, the inner liner of the cage squeezes the slider assembly, and the slider is driven to open the entrance and exit for bees under the compression of the spring.

2. The contactless cage according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sleeve shell, the queen cage shell, and the queen cage liner are all provided with a plurality of strip-shaped gaps arranged in an array, and the width of the strip-shaped gaps is smaller than the maximum width of the bees; during the movement of the queen cage module inside the sleeve shell, the strip-shaped gaps of the sleeve shell, the queen cage shell, and the queen cage liner will not be completely closed under the condition of mutual misalignment.

3. The contactless cage according to claim 2, characterized in that: Protection grooves are provided on both sides of the strip-shaped gaps of the queen cage shell and the queen cage liner. The depth of the protection grooves is greater than the maximum diameter of the queen bee's legs, and the length of the protection grooves is greater than the length of the queen bee's legs.

4. The contactless cage according to claim 3, characterized in that: The rear end of the sleeve shell is provided with a plurality of first fixing holes, and the sleeve shell and the beehive are connected through the first fixing holes and fasteners.

5. The contactless cage according to claim 4, characterized in that: The rear end of the sleeve shell is provided with a first extension portion, which is also provided with a first fixing hole; the outer periphery of the socket is provided with a second extension portion, which is provided with a second fixing hole.

6. The contactless cage according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sliding block is provided with a limiting groove, one end of the limiting groove is provided with an inclined limiting protrusion, and the inside of the sleeve shell is provided with an inclined limiting block capable of matching the limiting groove.

7. The contactless cage according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner shell of the royal cage is a rectangular frame, and a baffle is provided on one side of the front end of the royal cage inner shell close to the closed end of the sleeve shell; the side of the royal cage inner shell is provided with a bayonet, and the side of the royal cage shell is provided with a sliding groove that can cooperate with the bayonet, and the length of the sliding groove is less than or equal to the width of the baffle.

8. The contactless cage according to claim 7, characterized in that: A handle is provided on the side of the inner liner of the royal cage away from the closed end of the sleeve shell, and a breathing hole is provided on the side of the inner liner of the royal cage close to the closed end of the sleeve shell.

9. The contactless cage according to claim 8, characterized in that: A blocking piece is provided on one side of the inner liner of the royal cage close to the closed end of the sleeve shell, and a blocking groove adapted to the blocking piece is provided at a corresponding position on the edge of the royal cage shell.

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