Plastic beehive and floor kit

Abstract

A plastic beehive (1) comprising a floor (2) with a main entrance (20A) and a secondary entrance (20B), stackable on the floor and secured in a removable manner, a base (3), a super (4), and a roof (5). The super includes primary positioning means (40) for holding Dadant frames according to the length of the super and secondary positioning means (41) for supporting frames according to the width of the super. The super is modular and can be converted into a nuc, a small super, two nucleus colonies, or two separate colonies.

Description

Title of the invention: Plastic beehive and floor kit

[0001] The invention relates to a beehive made of plastic material and a floor kit.

[0002] Plastic beehives have the advantage of being lighter than wooden beehives and are much easier to maintain. Furthermore, bio-based plastics are now available to meet environmental requirements.

[0003] However, there is only one size of plastic beehive available on the market, specifically designed for ten frames.

[0004] Moreover, an increasing number of amateur beekeepers are taking up not only beekeeping but also bee breeding. However, the equipment for mating and raising a queen requires a smaller volume than a standard beehive; this is called a nuc or mating nucleus, which allows a small colony of bees to be grouped together in a small space. These bees will raise the virgin queen and prepare her for her mating flight. Today, nucs or nuclei are specific equipment distinct from a beehive. Therefore, one must purchase both a nuc and a beehive. Furthermore, there are no nucs made of plastic.

[0005] The invention therefore aims to provide a new beehive solution made of plastic material.

[0006] According to the invention, the plastic beehive comprises a floor with a main entrance, and stackable and removably fixed on the floor, a super and a roof, the super comprising on two opposite inner sides, called transverse sides, first positioning means for holding Dadant-type beehive frames (the frames having a height corresponding to the combined height of the base and super and a length corresponding to the inner length of the super), and the beehive being characterized in that - The beehive includes an optional base which, when assembled, is positioned immediately under the honey super. - the floor includes at least one other entrance called a secondary entrance (distinct from the main entrance) which is arranged opposite the main entrance, preferably the secondary entrance being shorter than that of the main entrance (and starting from one side of the hive) - the beehive includes a removable closing piece capable of closing the entire secondary entrance (while the main entrance is open) or of closing part of the main entrance (while the secondary entrance is open), and - The super has, on two opposite sides, called longitudinal sides, perpendicular to the transverse sides, secondary positioning means designed for supporting frames for honeycomb cells (particularly of the Dadant type) and more Smaller than the frames supported by the first positioning devices, these smaller frames are called "frames" and are adapted to the width of the super. The frames intended to be supported by the first frame positioning devices have a height corresponding to the combined height of the base and the super, and a length corresponding to the inside length of the super.

[0007] Preferably, the hive has dimensions corresponding to a small hive, in particular being able to house at most six Dadant frames.

[0008] According to one feature, the secondary positioning means form on each of the two longitudinal sides, a (continuous) rim which protrudes from the inside of the rise.

[0009] Thus, the secondary frame positioning means in the super, combined with the two hive entrances that can be closed when desired, as well as the removable base, make the internal layout of the hive modular. Indeed, the two edges allow for the support of frames of a height corresponding to the height of the super and for reducing the volume of the hive, which is then called a "small super," the base having been removed while the super has been retained, which will be much more favorable for using the hive for breeding. In addition, a partition wall can be added along the height of the hive, and thanks to the two entrances, it will be possible to provide two separate (and airtight) volumes inside the hive to house two swarms, and in the case of a small super for breeding, to divide the volume into two nucs.

[0010] It should be noted that the base is not intended to support frames (unlike a conventional hive body), but serves only to raise the super to support frames taller than a standard super. The height of a standard super is generally around 17 cm. The combined height of the base and the super of the hive of the invention is approximately 30 cm, thus supporting frames approximately 29 cm high.

[0011] The design of the beehive made of plastic offers several advantages, including: - cleaning is made easier; - The removability and stacking remain permanent over time because the material remains inert regardless of climatic conditions, unlike wood. - Manufacturing by molding can be done on a large scale (large-scale production), - The beehive can incorporate numerous complex shapes for installing various accessories or integrate various shapes into the hive as a single unit, in a single molding stage, which is impossible for a wooden beehive. For example, the first positioning devices (for frames) are manufactured as a single unit, whereas in a traditional wooden beehive, the secondary positioning means are either metal racks attached by screws or machined from wood, representing additional manufacturing steps. In the beehive of this invention, the secondary positioning means are directly integrated as a single unit and manufactured by molding the super. As will be seen later, several additional functional features have been added to the beehive without complicating its manufacture.

[0012] According to an advantageous feature, the hive comprises at least one removable partition for dividing the internal volume of the hive, the partition extending from the floor to the top of the super. The partition is inserted by sliding it vertically. The partition serves to create two hermetically sealed volumes, preventing bees from one nucleus from passing into the other. The removable partition allows the hive's transformation to be flexible and the hive's volume to be modulated as desired and at chosen times. The partition may be transparent.

[0013] Therefore, with the same purchased product, the user can transform their beehive at any time and implement either a standard beehive or a smaller internally. In particular, the beehive is modular according to the following four designs: - design a) (hive of nuc type size): floor / base / super / roof with the installation of a number of n Dadant frames, in particular six frames, extending lengthwise from one side to the other of the two entrances and extending heightwise according to the height of the base and the super, preferably the secondary entrance being totally blocked; - design b) (hive transformed into a super): floor / super / roof with the installation of a number of y frames, in particular twelve frames, extending lengthwise between the two longitudinal sides and extending heightwise according to the height of the super, preferably the secondary entrance being totally blocked; - design c) (the nuc being transformed to accommodate two bee colonies): floor / base / super / roof with the installation of a number of n Dadant frames, in particular six frames, extending lengthwise from one side to the other of the two entrances and extending heightwise according to the height of the base and the super, addition of a partition wall parallel to the frames and separating the hive into two volumes, preferably two identical volumes, and the secondary entrance being open while the main entrance is partially closed, each of the two entrances opening into one of the two respective volumes of the hive; - design d) (the hive being transformed into a super and two nucs): floor / super / roof with the installation of a number of frames, in particular twelve frames, extending lengthwise between the two longitudinal sides and extending heightwise according to the height of the super, addition of a partition wall parallel to the frames and separating the hive into two volumes, identical or not volumes, and the secondary entrance being open while the main entrance is partially closed, each of the two entrances leading into one of the two respective volumes of the hive; - design e) (the hive being transformed into a divisible super): floor / super / roof with the placement of a number of six frames, in particular to create a new colony in divisible.

[0014] In the following description, the term "height," and the qualifiers "upper," "lower," "top," and "bottom" of a hive element are used in the context of a normal hive installation, that is, relating to a vertical dimension with respect to a horizontal plane on which the hive would be placed. The qualifier "longitudinal" corresponds to the direction parallel to the length of the hive, and the qualifier "lateral" or "transverse" corresponds to the direction of the width of the hive (transverse to the length).

[0015] According to one feature, the first positioning means for Dadant frames are common forms of the rack type in the upper part of the transverse sides and of the male indexing stop type in the lower part.

[0016] According to one feature, the floor comprises a base with a multiplicity of through holes (for hive ventilation) which are regularly spaced at least around the entire periphery of the floor, preferably being regularly spaced over the entire surface of the base.

[0017] Preferably, the plastic material is polypropylene (PP) or high-density polyethylene (HDPE), including recycled plastic. Manufacturing with plastic makes it easy to create holes of the appropriate cross-section and desired dimensions. Furthermore, plastic components do not deteriorate or deform over time, which allows the partition to be installed and removed repeatedly over time.

[0018] According to one feature, the hive includes a sealing piece (made of plastic) which is removable and able to cooperate with the secondary entrance to close it totally, or with the main entrance to close it partially, preferably the sealing piece is substantially parallelepiped in shape and has two end edges with a convex shape cooperating with respectively two concave shapes which are provided, on the one hand for the secondary entrance, at its two opposite end edges, and on the other hand for the main entrance, at one of the end edges of said main entrance and on an interface pad disposed at a distance from an end edge, preferably the interface pad being located in the middle of the main entrance.In particular, when viewed from above, the edges of the sealing piece have a general Omega (W) shape, which provides a better seal against air currents and prevents energy loss. Manufactured in... The plastic material of the floor and the sealing piece allows not only for simplicity of manufacture, but also ensures cooperation of the elements by interlocking which is perfect for hermetically sealing the entrance without any possible gap for the bee to pass through and that this closure is permanent without risk of deformation of the material regardless of climatic conditions.

[0019] According to one feature, the floor includes removable fixing means, such as two opposing grooves transverse to the longitudinal edges of the floor, said removable fixing means serving to fix a barrier grid at the level of an entrance, preventing access to the hive by rodents.

[0020] According to one feature, the hive comprises at least one receptacle (made of plastic), in particular for forming a trap for Aetina Tumida, mounted under the floor, and the floor has openings leading into the receptacle, in particular the receptacle being a removable drawer that slides from one edge of the floor and preferably comprising a gripping protrusion at one end, preferably the receptacle being made of plastic and being black in color. The plastic material allows for the easy manufacture of this receptacle as well as the creation of the complex housing arranged under the floor to accommodate this receptacle like a drawer.The floor is advantageously manufactured in a single step, although it includes a plurality of technical features in different places (ventilation holes, configuration of the main and secondary entrances, fixing of the sealing piece, fixing of a barrier grid for rodents, fixing of an Aetina Tumida trap receptacle, etc.).

[0021] According to one feature, the base comprises, on an outer wall, at least at the main entrance, molded attachment points for at least one (rigid) hornet shield, particularly for Asian hornets. Preferably, these molded attachment points are ribs, while the shield has slides that cooperate with the ribs. Again, the plastic material allows for the direct integration of support means such as ribs, and the shield, also made entirely of plastic, has molded attachment points in the form of slides. The hornet trap can be easily assembled and just as easily removed, and these assembly and disassembly steps can be repeated as often as necessary.

[0022] According to one feature, the base has an outer wall which includes molded protruding and / or hollow reception and fixing forms for fixing the base to the floor and the super to the base, by means of added fixing means that screw and / or clip into the reception forms, preferably the added fixing means being clip pieces and / or pieces of the type fixing-elements for beehive. The Plastic material makes it easy to create the shapes for fixing after stacking the base and the top.

[0023] According to one feature, the super has (on its so-called outer wall) molded shapes for receiving and fixing protruding and hollow for its fixing to the base and the possible fixing of additional stackable elements above the super, and molded shapes with the function of handles for handling the hive.

[0024] According to one feature, the hive includes an upper part trap for bee parasites, such as Aetina Tumida, said upper part trap is made of plastic and includes a frame support (having a hollow inner surface) which extends around the entire perimeter of the hive and is stackable on the super, and one or more trap receptacles which are spaced and distributed over the entire inner surface of the frame support, the receptacles having walls which each have through holes of honeycomb structure with at least one bottom line of blind holes of honeycomb structure (forming hexagonal impressions which constitute a lure for Aetina Tumida), preferably the walls being black in color.

[0025] According to one feature, the hive includes a plastic feeder which forms a stackable tray above the super (directly or indirectly) and includes a solid bottom, at least one closable bore and at least one chimney projecting from the bottom without exceeding the height of the tray, preferably the feeder including a partition separating the tray widthwise into two spaces and including in each of the spaces a bore and a chimney.

[0026] According to one feature, the hive includes a plastic housing for predators of bee parasites, in particular a housing for pseudoscorpions (in order to naturally combat Varroa), the housing forming a tray suitable for stacking on the super and comprising a grid preferably extending over the entire surface of the tray (on which a natural bedding of pseudoscorpions is intended to be deposited), the grid comprising a multiplicity of holes having a cross-section between 4 mm and 10 mm.

[0027] According to one feature, the grid has passages cooperating with the bore(s) and the chimney(s) of the feeder when the feeder is stacked on the tray, the passages being adapted to the size of the bees so that the bees can access the feeder despite the presence of the pseudoscorpion's habitat (and without accessing said habitat).

[0028] According to one feature, the roof is light-colored, which allows for heat reflection in summer. Its plastic construction makes it easy to select a color and manufacture it in a single operation. Painting the roof is not necessary. Preferably, the roof is attached by snapping it around the periphery of the rise (covering if present the feeder and / or the pseudoscorpion habitat and / or the upper part trap of the Aetina Tumida).

[0029] The invention also relates to a plastic beehive floor kit, in particular for use in a modular beehive arrangement, comprising: - a base with a multitude of through holes preferably regularly spaced at least around the entire periphery of the floor, - a main inlet and an opposing secondary inlet, preferably the secondary inlet being shorter than the main inlet, - a closing piece that is removable and able to cooperate with the secondary inlet to close it completely, or with the main inlet to close it partially, preferably the piece being substantially parallelepiped in shape and having two end edges with a convex shape cooperating with two concave shapes which are provided, on the one hand for the secondary inlet, at its two opposing end edges, and on the other hand for the main inlet, at one end edge and at an interface pad disposed at a distance from the end edge, in particular the interface pad being located in the middle of the main inlet, and - at least one suitably shaped housing under the floor and under at least the main entrance, and at least one removable receptacle housed in said housing, preferably the receptacle being a drawer removable by sliding from a (longitudinal) edge of the floor (the drawer being parallel to the main entrance and removable in a direction parallel to the main entrance) and preferably including a gripping projection and preferably the receptacle being black in color to constitute a trap for Aetina Tumida, the floor further having openings, preferably elongated in shape and opening into the receptacle.

[0030] The present invention is now described by means of purely illustrative and in no way limiting examples of the scope of the invention, and from the accompanying illustrations, in which: - [Fig.1] represents a perspective view of an example of a beehive made of plastic material mounted according to the invention. - [Fig.2] represents an exploded perspective view of the hive of [Fig.1], some elements of which may be optional, such as the base, the hornet shield, the feeder, the upper part trap for Aetina Tumida, the pseudoscorpion housing and the partition wall. - [Fig. 3a] shows in perspective the plastic floor according to the invention, the sealing piece for a hive entrance and the lower part trap of Aetina Tumida, intended to be associated with the floor. - [Fig. 3b] is a top perspective detail view of the partially closed main entrance with the shutter piece. - [Fig.4] is a perspective view of a basic example. - [Fig.5] is a perspective view of an example of an increase. - [Fig.6a] is a top perspective and exploded view of the upper part trap of Aetina Tumida including the frame support and a single trap receptacle which is illustrated here. - [Fig. 6b] is a top view of the trap receptacle of [Fig.6a]. - [Fig.7] is an exploded perspective view of the feeder and the housing for pseudoscorpions.

[0031] The beehive 1 of the invention, illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, is a plastic beehive and has the advantage of being modular, providing the beekeeper with several beehive models with different functions. It can be transformed, reversibly, into a nuc box, a super, two-colony nuc boxes, a two-nucleus super, and a divisible super.

[0032] The hive 1 comprises a floor 2, a base 3, a super 4, and a roof 5, each of the elements being stackable and removable. Preferably and optionally, the hive 1 comprises at least one trap 6 for Aetina Tumida arranged under the floor 2, another trap 7 for Aetina Tumida arranged in the upper part of the hive, at least one hornet shield 6' at the hive entrance, a feeder 8 positioned above the super 4, and a predator housing 9 for parasites such as pseudoscorpions to combat Varroa mites in the hive. All elements 2 to 9 are made of plastic, by molding, and thus integrate various functional shapes in a single piece.

[0033] The beehive is parallelepiped in shape with a rectangular cross-section.

[0034] The modularity of the hive 1 is obtained by the following characteristics: - the floor 2 has a main entrance 20A and a secondary entrance 20B, the secondary entrance 20B being totally closable or the main entrance 20A being partially closable (in particular via a single removable closing piece), and - the super 4 includes not only first positioning means 40 (described later) for Dadant type frames, which are intended to extend along the length of the hive, but also second positioning means 41 for frames, of the type rather than frames, which are intended to extend along the width of the hive without use of the first positioning means 40.

[0035] Furthermore, the hive 1 comprises at least one removable partition wall 10, preferably two partition walls of different dimensions (one of which is schematically illustrated in [Fig. 2]), one or the other of the partitions being used to provide either a hive with two colonies or two nuclei. The partition wall 10, according to a first configuration, is dimensionally designed to The hive is divided into two volumes according to its width and a height corresponding to the combined height of the base 3 and the super 4. The partition wall 10, according to a second configuration, is dimensionally designed to divide the hive into two volumes according to its width and a height corresponding to the height of the super 4. Two other removable partition walls can be provided with yet different dimensions and adapted to divide the hive according to its length and respectively, the height of the base and the super, and the height of the super alone.

[0036] The floor 2 (shown in more detail in Figures 3a and 3b) comprises a bottom 20, two opposite longitudinal edges 21 (direction of the length of the hive), two opposite transverse sides 22 (direction of the width of the hive) which respectively include the main entrance 20A and the secondary entrance 20B.

[0037] The bottom 20 has through holes 23 for hive ventilation. In addition, at least a multitude of holes 23 are provided around the periphery of the bottom 20, at least along the longitudinal edges 21, and preferably also along the transverse sides 22, at regular intervals. Advantageously, the partition wall 10 is 2 to 3 mm thick. The partition wall 10 is installed by simply inserting it vertically from the top of the super 4, with the frames or frames in place. The partition wall 10 is dimensionally adjusted to be held by its vertical edges against the hive walls. Alternatively, it can be designed to be clipped, for example, to the floor.

[0038] The main entrance 20A extends along the entire length of the hive width, between the two longitudinal edges 21. Preferably, the floor 2 has a surface projecting sufficiently from the entrance 20A to constitute a landing board 24. Preferably, at the boundary of the landing board 24 and the entrance 20A, the floor 20 has, at the edge of each of its longitudinal edges 21, a transverse groove 21' to receive a removable grid (not shown) which will extend along the length of the entrance 20A to prevent rodents from entering the hive.

[0039] The secondary entrance 20B extends opposite the main entrance 20A along a partial length of the hive width, in particular along half the width. A landing board surface is not necessarily provided opposite this secondary entrance 20B.

[0040] The hive 1 includes a removable sealing piece 2' (Figures 3a and 3b) for completely closing the secondary entrance 20B or partially closing the main entrance 20A as illustrated in [Fig. 3b] (leaving the secondary entrance 20B open). Preferably, the sealing piece 2' is parallelepiped-shaped and has two distal ends 2A and 2B that butt against two edges of a Inlet. For the main inlet 20A, the two distal ends 2A and 2B of the obturation piece 2' cooperate in a butt joint with an end edge 200 of the main inlet 20A and an interface stud 201 preferably positioned in the middle of the main inlet 20A so as to only partially close this main inlet. For the secondary inlet 20B, the two distal ends 2A and 2B of the obturation piece 2' cooperate in a butt joint with the two opposite end edges 202 and 203 of said secondary inlet. Advantageously, the distal ends 2A and 2B of the obturation piece 2' have, along their edge, a convex shape cooperating with a concave shape provided in the end edges 200, 202, 203 and the interface stud 201. In top view, these distal ends 2A and 2B of the obturation piece 2' have a general Omega (W) shape.

[0041] Floor 2 ([Fig.3a]) has at least one trap 6 for Aetina Tumida. This trap 6 is arranged under the floor 2 and at the edge of the main entrance 20A. The floor 2 has a recess 25 of suitable shape (also obtained by molding during the floor's manufacture) to accommodate the trap 6. The trap 6 is a receptacle 60. The recess 25 is integral with the underside of the floor 20; the receptacle 60 is advantageously attached directly to the underside of the floor 20. The floor 2 has one or more through holes 26 extending along the length of the main entrance 20A. The receptacle 60 is positioned (directly) under the holes 26. The holes 26 are preferably oblong. The orifices 26 are smaller than those of bees and larger than those of Aetina Tumida so that the latter can fall through said orifices 26 and into the receptacle 60. The receptacle 60 is open in its upper plane opposite the orifices 26.The receptacle 60 can be open along its entire length or include corresponding openings 61 opposite the openings 26 in the floor when the receptacle is installed under the floor. The receptacle 60 is made of plastic. The receptacle 60 is black to attract the wasp Aetina tumida. The receptacle 60 is removable, allowing for easy placement of sticky material and subsequent emptying and cleaning. Preferably, the receptacle 60 forms a sliding drawer from at least one of the longitudinal edges 21 of the floor 2. The receptacle 60 thus extends transversely to the longitudinal direction of the hive and parallel to the main entrance 20A, and can be removed and inserted laterally from one side of the floor. The receptacle 60 may include a gripping protrusion to facilitate its removal.Floor 2 may include at the secondary entrance 20B openings 26 and another housing 25 to accommodate another receptacle 60 which will be positioned under the openings 26 of the secondary entrance 20B.

[0042] The hive 1 may include another trap 7 for Aetina Tumida than the trap 6 positioned under the floor 2. This other trap 7 ([Fig.6a] and [Fig.6b]) is an upper part trap of the hive to trap the parasite that would have climbed up through the super 4. The upper trap 7 for Aetina Tumida is preferably intended to be installed temporarily (and the pseudoscorpion housing 9 will then not be installed). The upper trap 7 for Aetina Tumida comprises a horizontal frame support 70 which extends around the entire perimeter of the hive and is stackable on the super 4 and at least one trap receptacle 71 which is removable and supported by the support 70. Preferably, the upper trap 7 comprises several trap receptacles 71 which extend along the entire length of the support 70 (therefore along the entire length of the hive) and are distributed across the width of the support 70, spaced like Dadant frames arranged in the super 4.To support each receptacle 71, the support 70 has, on its two opposing inner lateral walls, crenellated shapes 70' in which the end shoulders 72 of the receptacles 71 are housed and secured. Each receptacle 71 comprises a base 73, two walls 74 spaced apart to create a hollow interior volume, and a top surface 75 with the projecting shoulders 72 at each end. A sticky trapping material is advantageously deposited in the base 73 and inside each of the receptacles 71. The receptacle 71, for example, has a height of 50 mm. Each of the two walls 74 has through holes 76, which preferably have a hexagonal shape, like honeycomb cells. The holes 76 are arranged in rows one above the other. The 76 holes have dimensions corresponding to the passage of an Aetina Tumida while preventing the passage of a bee.In particular, the through holes have a cross-section whose largest dimension is at least 4 mm and at most 10 mm. The through holes 76 do not extend to the bottom of the receptacle in order to provide a certain full height of walls (for example, halfway up) for depositing sticky material to trap parasites. Advantageously, the walls 74 (at the full height) also have blind holes 77, in particular along one or two lines arranged at the bottom of the receptacle from the base 73 and parallel to the lines of through holes 76 located above. The line(s) of blind holes 77 are in the immediate vicinity of the super 4 in the mounted position of the frame, and each of the blind holes 77 (like indentations) preferably has a hexagonal honeycomb shape to serve as a lure for parasites. Preferably, the walls 74 of the receptacle are black.As for the upper surface 75 of a receptacle 71, it has a slot along its entire length or several aligned slots 78 extending along the length of the receptacle. The width of the slots is approximately 8 mm.

[0043] The base 3 of the beehive acts as a riser for the super 4. The base 3 ([Fig. 4]) has a hollow interior and, in particular, is devoid of molded shapes. However, its outer wall 30 has protruding and hollow molded fixing shapes 31 for attaching the base 3 to the floor 2 and for attaching the super 4 to it when it is stacked on said base. The molded fixing shapes 31 are used to attach clip-on fasteners or fasteners of the type known and called beehive fasteners. In addition, the outer wall 30 has, on one of its faces, the one opposite the main entrance 20A, other molded fixing shapes 32 for removably attaching said at least one hornet shield 6'. The shield 6' has molded shapes 60' for mutual cooperation with the molded shapes 32 of the base 3, in particular by sliding cooperation.For example, the 32-piece fixing molds are ribs, while the 60' molds of the 6' shield are two spaced-out slides. The 6' shield is intended to cantilever from the hive body (from wall 30) and over the hive's main entrance 20A.

[0044] The super 4 is used to fix frames or frames in the hive. The super 4 ([Fig. 5]) has an inner wall 42 and an outer wall 43. The super 4 has two opposing longitudinal sides 44 and two opposing lateral sides 45 perpendicular to the longitudinal sides. The first frame positioning means 40 are arranged on the lateral sides 45 of the inner wall 42. By molding, they form racks 46 in their upper part, and indexing stops 47 in their lower part (for the frames). The second frame positioning means 41 are arranged on the longitudinal sides 44 of the inner wall 42. The first positioning means 40 and the second positioning means 41 are molded and integrated as a single unit into the super 4.Preferably, the second positioning means 41 form, on each of the lateral sides 45, a projecting lip perpendicular to the plane of the wall and located at the upper end of the wall, the lip 41 being continuous along the entire length of the wall. When there are no frames along the length of the hive, it is possible to position frames along the width, particularly when the user wants to reduce the hive volume with a single entrance or divide the volume to, for example, create two nucs with the two entrances. The continuous design of the lips 41 allows frames to be placed anywhere and at the desired spacing.

[0045] The super 4, like the base 3, has molded reception and attachment forms 48 on its outer wall 43 for attaching to the base 3 and for attaching additional stackable elements to said super, by means of added clips and / or element-fixing devices. Advantageously, since the super 4 is systematically present regardless of the hive model, the outer wall 43 also includes molded shapes with handle function 49 for handling the hive (one variant of which is illustrated in [Fig.1] and another variant is illustrated in [Fig.5]).

[0046] The removable feeder 8 can be placed on top of the super 4. The feeder 8 is also made of plastic. As shown in [Fig. 7], the feeder 8 forms a tray with a surface area equivalent to that of the super 4 and has a stackable frame on top of the super 4. The feeder 8 has at least one bore 81 in its solid base 80, preferably including a breakable lid. When the lid is removed and the bore 81 is not in use, the bore 81 can be closed with a plug. The bore 81 passes through the base of the tray and opens onto the underside of the feeder opposite the inside of the super 4 in its installed position. The bore 81 is thus accessible to the bees from inside the super 4. If the feeding product is solid, it will be deposited on the bottom 80 and the bees will pass through the bore 81.Advantageously, the feeder 8 further includes a chimney 82 forming a conduit through the base 80 and rising above the base 80 without exceeding the height of the tray. The chimney 82 provides another passage for the bees; this chimney allows a liquid product to be deposited in the base 80 of the feeder, the bore 81 having to be previously sealed (by a plug). When the feeder product is solid, a cap closes the chimney 82, while the bees pass through the bore 81. Preferably, the feeder 8 includes a partition 83 to create two feeding compartments 83A and 83B, in each of which are arranged a sealable bore 81 and a chimney 82, thus allowing two colonies to be fed when the hive is divided into two nucs. In particular, each of the compartments 83A, 83B can hold three liters of liquid feed.

[0047] The predator housing 9, designed for predators such as pseudoscorpions, allows for the control of Varroa mites without the use of chemicals. The housing 9 ([Fig. 7]) forms a tray with a surface area equal to that of the super 4 and is designed to be stacked on top of the super 4. The tray 9 has a base consisting of a grid 90, preferably extending entirely over the entire surface of the base and thus having multiple holes. A natural bedding material for the pseudoscorpion, such as moss, is intended to be placed on the grid 90. The holes in the grid 90 allow the pseudoscorpions to easily pass from their housing to the inside of the super 4 where the bees are located, and vice versa. The holes in the grid 90 have a cross-section significantly smaller than the size of a bee, so as to allow only the pseudoscorpions to pass through. In particular, the holes in the grid 90 have a cross-section between 4 mm and 10 mm.In one embodiment, tray 9 comprises two grids 90 facing each other and spaced apart, an upper grid and a lower grid, the upper grid serving as bedding for the pseudoscorpions. The spacing. The gap between the two grids is at least 2 mm, which allows the upper grid to be raised so that if bedding tends to overflow from the holes downwards, it will spill into the space between the two grids without reaching the lower grid. Bees that reach the lower grid will not risk dislodging the bedding on the upper grid.

[0048] Furthermore, the housing 9 is intended to be arranged below the feeder 8. The housing 9 is specifically clipped under the feeder 8. The feeder 8 will therefore be stacked on the housing 9, which includes male clips 9' for cooperation with female clips 8' on the frame of the feeder 8 (or vice versa). The housing 9 and the feeder 8 may also include male clips 9" and female clips 8" at the corners to facilitate centering and positioning the feeder 8 on the housing 9.

[0049] The pseudoscorpion habitat 9 is directly above the bee colony or colonies so that the pseudoscorpions can access (by descending) directly the upper part of the hive body - the super - where the bees live. For the passage of bees from the super 4 to the feeder 8, when the feeder 8 is stacked on the hive body 9, the hive body or body 9 has one, preferably two, passages 91 open at each of their ends which are arranged so as to be opposite the bores 81 of the feeder 8 when the feeder is stacked on the body 9, as well as one, preferably two other passages 92 which are arranged so as to be opposite the chimneys 82 of the feeder 8 when the feeder is stacked on the body 9. The passages 91 and 92 of the body 9 can be bores or preferably conduits whose height corresponds to the thickness of the body 9.When feeder 8 is stacked on board 9, passages 91 and 92 are butted up against bores 81 and chimneys 82. The walls of passages or conduits 91 and 92 are closed so that the bee passes through these conduits from super 4 to feeder 8 without accessing the inside of board 9, i.e., the pseudoscorpion nest. The nest 9 is made of plastic, which facilitates the one-step manufacturing of grid 90, passages 91 and 92, and molded shapes that allow the nest to be stacked and secured on board 9 of the nest on super 4 and feeder 8 on the nest 9.

[0050] Finally, the roof 5 is preferably attached by interlocking over the riser 4 and any additional elements, namely the upper trap 7 for the Aetina Tumida, the feeder 8, and the housing 9, when one or more of these are added above the riser 4. The roof 5 has a height adapted to include the height of the additional elements 7, 8, and 9 stacked on the riser 4. The roof 5 has a peripheral rim 50 at its lower end that projects beyond the section The interior of the roof allows it to be attached by interlocking. Advantageously, roof 5 is light-colored.

Claims

Demands

1. A beehive (1) made of plastic comprising a floor (2) with an entrance called the main entrance (20A), and stackable on the floor and removably fixed, a super (4) and a roof (5), the super (4) comprising on two opposite inner sides, called transverse sides (45), first positioning means (40) for holding Dadant-type beehive frames, and the beehive being characterized in that - the beehive comprises an optional base (3) which, when mounted, is arranged immediately under the super (4), - the floor (2) comprises at least one other entrance called the secondary entrance (20B) which is arranged opposite the main entrance (20A), preferably the secondary entrance being shorter than the main entrance, - the beehive comprises a removable closing piece (2') capable of closing the entire secondary entrance or closing a part of the main entrance,and - the riser (4) has on two opposite inner sides, called longitudinal sides (44), perpendicular to the transverse sides (45), secondary positioning means (41) designed for supporting frames and shorter in length than the frames supported by the first positioning means, these smaller frames being called frames and being adapted to the width of the riser.

2. Hive according to claim 1, characterized in that the secondary positioning means (41) form on each of the two longitudinal sides (44), a rim which protrudes from the inside of the super.

3. Hive according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the hive comprises at least one partition wall (10) removable from the internal volume of the hive, the partition going from the floor (2) to the top of the super (4).

4. Hive according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the floor (2) comprises a base with a multiplicity of through holes (23) which are regularly spaced at least around the entire periphery of the floor, preferably being regularly spaced over the entire surface of the base.

5. A beehive according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a sealing piece (2') which is removable and able to cooperate with the secondary entrance (20B) to close it totally, or with the main entrance (20A) to close it partially, preferably the sealing piece (2') is substantially parallelepiped in shape and has two end edges (2A, 2B) with a convex shape cooperating with respectively two concave shapes which are provided, on the one hand for the secondary entrance (20B), in its two opposite end edges (202, 203), and on the other hand for the main entrance (20A), in one of the end edges (200) of said main entrance and on an interface pad (201) disposed at a distance from an end edge, preferably the interface pad being located in the middle of the main entrance.

6. Hive according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one receptacle (60), in particular for constituting a trap (6) of Aetina Tumida, mounted under the floor (2), and the floor (2) comprises openings (26) leading into the receptacle (60), in particular the receptacle (60) being a removable drawer by sliding from an edge (21) of the floor, preferably the receptacle (60) being made of plastic and being black in color.

7. Hive according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base (3) comprises an outer wall (30) on which, at least at the main entrance (20A), molded forms (32) for the removable attachment of at least one anti-hornet shield (6') in particular against Asian hornets, preferably said molded attachment forms (32) are ribs while the shield (6') comprises slides (60') which cooperate with the ribs.

8. Hive according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base (3) has an outer wall which has molded reception and fixing forms (31) in projection and / or hollow for fixing the base (3) to the floor (2) and the super (4) to the base (3), by means of added fixing which screw and / or clip into the reception forms (31), preferably the added fixing means being clip pieces and / or pieces of the type fixing-elements for hive.

9. Hive according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the super (4) has molded reception and fixing forms (47) projecting and hollow for its attachment to the base (3) and the possible attachment of additional stackable elements above the super, and molded forms functioning as handles (49) for handling the hive.

10. A beehive according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an upper part trap (7) for bee parasites, such as Aetina Tumida, said upper part trap being made of plastic and comprising a frame support (70) which extends around the entire perimeter of the hive and is stackable on the super (4), and one or more trap receptacles (71) which are spaced and distributed over the entire inner surface of the frame support, the receptacles having walls which each have through holes of honeycomb structure with at least one bottom line of blind holes of honeycomb structure, preferably the walls being black in color.

11. Hive according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a plastic feeder (8) which forms a stackable tray above the super (4) and comprises a solid bottom (80), at least one closable bore (81) and at least one chimney (82) projecting from the bottom (80) without exceeding the height of the tray, preferably the feeder comprising a partition (83) separating the tray widthwise into two spaces (83A, 83B) and comprising in each of the spaces a bore (81) and a chimney (82).

12. A beehive according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a plastic housing (9) for predators of bee parasites, in particular a housing (9) for sheltering pseudoscorpions, the housing (9) forming a tray suitable for stacking on the super (4) and comprising a grid (90) preferably extending over the entire surface of the tray, the grid comprising a multiplicity of holes having a cross-section between 4 mm and 10 mm.

13. Hive according to claims 11 and 12, characterized in that the grid (90) has passages (91, 92) cooperating with the bore(s) (91) and the chimney(s) (82) of the feeder (8) when

14.

15. the feed is stacked on the tray (9), the passages (91, 92) being adapted to the size of the bees. Beehive according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the roof (5) is light-colored. Hive floor kit (2), made of plastic, particularly for use with a modular hive in an arrangement, comprising: - a base (20) with multiple through holes (23) preferably regularly spaced at least around the entire perimeter of the floor, - a main inlet (20A) and an opposite secondary inlet (20B), preferably the secondary inlet being shorter in length than the main inlet, - a sealing piece (2') which is removable and able to cooperate with the secondary inlet (20B) to close it completely, or with the main inlet (20A) to close it partially, preferably the sealing piece (2') being substantially parallelepiped in shape and having two end edges (2A, 2B) with a convex shape cooperating respectively with two concave shapes which are provided, on the one hand for the secondary inlet (20B), in two opposite end edges (202, 2023), and on the other hand for the main inlet (20A), in an end edge (200) and in an interface stud (201) disposed at a distance from the end edge, in particular the interface stud being located in the middle of the main inlet, and - at least one housing (25) of suitable shape under the floor (2) and under at least the main entrance (20A), and at least one removable receptacle (60) accommodated in said housing, preferably the receptacle (60) being a drawer removable by sliding from an edge (21) of the floor and preferably the receptacle (60) being black in color to constitute a trap (6) for Aetina Tumida, the floor (2) further having openings (26), preferably elongated in shape and opening into the receptacle (60).

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