Bee feed supplement mixture for strengthening and improving beehives

Abstract

A bee feed supplement mixture that includes sugar powder greater than 99%, Calcium Carbonate less than 0.2%, Potassium Chloride less than 0.2%, Sodium Chloride less than 0.2%, and Isoamyl Acetate less than 0.2% of the mixture weight. It is preferably to administer the mixture by placing it in the entrance to the hive or by dissolving it in water or other liquid and spraying the dissolved mixture inside the beehive. A method for strengthening hives by providing the mixture and administering the mixture to the hive, and a method for improving agricultural crops by providing the mixture and administering the mixture to one or more hives nearby.

Description

[0001] Bee feed supplement mixture for strengthening and improving beehives

[0002] Description

[0003] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0004] The present invention refers to a bee feed supplement for strengthening and improving beehives.

[0005] BACKGROUND ART

[0006] The hives suffer in the past few years from a variety of factors, including climate change, increased pollution and pesticides, lack of pollen and nectar sources and the spread of certain diseases. As a result, bees and other pollinators are in decline, leading to a decrease in the production of honey, pollination efficiency and reduction in other hive products. There is a market demand for a solution to these situations and the invention before us presents a good and effective solution to these critical problems.

[0007] DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The intention of the drawings attached to the application, is not to limit the scope of the invention nor its application. The drawings are intended only to illustrate the invention and they constitute only one of its many possible implementations.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of the bee feed supplement.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a depiction of the bee feed supplement power in the entrance to a beehive ready to be used on a regular basis by the worker bees. THE INVENTION

[0011] The object of the present invention is to provide a bee feed supplement (10) for strengthening of bees that includes sugar powder (11 ), Calcium Carbonate (12), Potassium Chloride (13), Sodium Chloride (14), and Isoamyl Acetate (15). It is possible that the bee feed supplement be placed at the entrance (101) of the hive (100) without the need to open the hive, a task that may disturb the beehive development and cause addition steps required by the beekeeper. It is preferably that the bee feed supplement be administered on a regular basis between once a month or sometimes weekly depending on the health condition of the bee population and its environmental conditions.

[0012] The amount of each of the components in the bee feed supplement (the mixture) can be different and in a wide variety of options, although, it is desirable that the sugar* powder is in a preferable amount of about >99% by weight of the mixture, the Calcium Carbonate is in a preferable amount of about 0.05% (but less than 0.2%) by weight of the mixture, the Potassium Chloride is in a preferable amount of about 0.05% (but less than 0.2%) by weight of the mixture, the Sodium Chloride is in a preferable amount of about 0.05% (but less than 0.2%) by weight of the mixture, and the Isoamyl Acetate is in a preferable amount of about 0.05-0.001% (but less than 0.2%) by weight of the mixture.

[0013] The bee feed supplement mixture consists of three inorganic salts as follows: Calcium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride. All these salts play an important role in neuronal and physiology of bee's system affecting honeybees’ behavior and in their sensitivity to environmental stressors like sublethal doses of pesticides. The Isoamyl Acetate is an alarm pheromone for bees that causes bees swarming, due to its attractive smell. Figure 1 is a schematic depiction of the bee feed supplement mixture (10). Figure 2 is a depiction of the bee feed supplement power in the entrance to a beehive ready to be used on a regular basis by the worker bees.

[0014] The bee feed supplement mixture (10) is designed to make the hive work better, to reduce the bees’ mortality, and to increase their production and the like (hereinafter and in the claims “strengthening”). The Isoamyl Acetate pheromone causes the bees to be attracted to the bee feed supplement mixture so that they consume it and also causes arousal.

[0015] In experiments, five grams of the bio stimulants mixture were supplied to a hive of approximately 50,000 bees (that is enough for a period of three weeks). The results were highly positive, compared to a control group, and characterized by an increase in the number of the entrances and exits of the bees from the hive (indicates the vitality and health of the hive), an increase in the number of laying eggs, an increase in the number of bees (less mortality), and in the yield of honey by 20 - 40%.

[0016] In another experiments carried out in which a beehive were fed with a sugar solution contaminated with sub lethal concentration of pesticide belongs to neonicotinoids group, it turned out that the hives that received the bee feed supplement mixture coped better with the situation compared to hives that did not receive the mixture, this shows that the bee feed supplement mixture triggers the immune system, and increases resistance to diseases and pesticides (which are harmful to bees). In another experiment, bees were used to pollinate cotton fields. Two groups of hives were placed further away from each other: a control group received no treatment of any kind, and the second group of hives was treated with the invented bee feed supplement of 5 grams every 1 week. After the pollination season was over the cotton plants were left to ripe for another 2 months then the cotton lobes were harvested, and the quantity and quality of the seeds were measured. The key parameter of interest was the total weight of seeds per dunam in both groups, controlled and treated. It was found that the sampled cotton plants nearby the treated hives produced 100% more seeds than the sampled cotton plants nearby the non-treated hives. This field trial which took place in 200 dunam field (200X1000 meters) shows that the bee feed supplement mixture not only increases honey production and makes bees more resilient in the presence of pesticides but also enhances significantly their performance as a pollination agent. We will refer in this disclosure and in the claim to all of these positive effects with the term “Improvement in agricultural crops"’.

[0017] It is possible and recommended to apply the bee feed supplement mixture at the entrance (101) to the hive (100). In this way, the mixture (that is in a powder form) stays on the bees as they enter the hive and have to move through it to the entrance. Another option to use the invention is to apply it inside (102) the hive. This requires removing the hive’s lid and spreading the bee feed supplement mixture on top of the combs inside the hive. A third deployment option is to dissolve the bee feed supplement mixture in water and spray it inside the hive.

[0018] The present invention discloses the innovative bee feed supplement mixture, discloses a method for strengthening hives, methods of administering the mixture to the hive, and a method for improving agricultural crops.

Claims

ClaimsWhat is claimed is:

1. A bee feed supplement mixture for strengthening beehives that comprises: (a) sugar powder, (b) Calcium Carbonate, (c) Potassium Chloride, (d) Sodium Chloride, and (e) Isoamyl Acetate.

2. The bee feed supplement mixture of claim 1, wherein said sugar powder amount is greater than 99% of the mixture weight, the Calcium Carbonate amount is less than 0.2% of the mixture weight, the Potassium Chloride amount is less than 0.2% of the mixture weight, the Sodium Chloride amount is less than 0.2% of the mixture weight, and the Isoamyl Acetate amount is less than 0.2% of the mixture weight.

3. A method for administering the bee feed supplement mixture of claim 1 to a hive by placing the mixture in the entrance to the hive.

4. A method for administering the bee feed supplement mixture of claim 1 to a hive by dissolving the mixture in water or other liquid compounds and spraying the dissolved mixture inside the beehive.

5. A method for strengthening hives that includes the steps of providing the mixture of claim 1 and administering the mixture to the hive.

6. A method for improving agricultural crops that includes the steps of providing the mixture of claim 1 and administering the mixture to one or more hives nearby.

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