Frame feeder for bee feeding

Abstract

A frame feeder (10) for bee feeding for being fitted inside a beehive (100) and a corresponding method is disclosed. The frame feeder comprises: A paperboard sheet (1, 2) comprising a plurality of portions to be folded into a folding state and defining a holding volume, wherein the plurality of portions comprises a bottom portion (11, 21) extending in a first plane, and four side portions configured to be folded out of said first plane. The bottom portion and the four side portions together form a holding volume for holding a liquid bee feed in the folding state.

Description

[0001] Frame feeder for bee feeding

[0002] Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a frame feeder for bee keeping and a method to produce a frame feeder.

[0004] Background

[0005] Beekeeping primarily focuses on honey production, but the pollination services provided by bees significantly enhance agricultural productivity, often yielding a value up to ten times greater than that of honey itself. A robust bee colony can consist of up to 120,000 bees. In Sweden, beekeeping is predominantly undertaken by private individuals, many of whom have limited expertise in the field. Currently, beekeeping faces growing challenges from disease outbreaks, posing a substantial threat to bee populations. The European Union's Honey Directive, which partly aims to address these challenges, anticipates an increase in professional beekeeping operations.

[0006] To optimize both honey production and pollination, it is crucial to ensure a large number of mature bees are available at the right time. The development cycle from egg to mature bee takes approximately six weeks, with mature bees capable of flying for about three weeks until their wings deteriorate. Successful pollination requires that a substantial number of bees mature concurrently and survive long enough to fulfill their roles. Post-pollination, bees consume the honey they produce; thus, excessive honey harvesting by beekeepers can lead to colony starvation.

[0007] During the honey production season, the queen bee can lay thousands of eggs daily, which develop into larvae fed by worker bees. Starvation increases the risk of disease within the colony, making it vulnerable to raids by other colonies, which can subsequently spread infections. To curb disease transmission, beekeepers must diligently clean equipment transferred between hives.

[0008] To prevent starvation and bolster the colony before nectar becomes available, beekeepers may provide bees with a liquid feed, such as syrup containing about 40% sugar. This practice strengthens the colony's condition ahead of pollination and honey harvest periods. Plasticframe feeders are typically used to dispense this feed, but these frames often lack food safety approvals due to cleaning challenges and are prone to degradation within hive environments. Additionally, the use of plastic contributes to environmental pollution. Therefore, there is a pressing need for alternative solutions that safeguard bee colonies through winter without compromising environmental integrity.

[0009] Summary

[0010] It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved solution that alleviates the mentioned drawbacks with present devices. Furthermore, it is an object to provide a frame feeder for beekeeping which meet legal requirements, has a long life-length and which is disposable without environmental pollution.

[0011] The invention is defined by the appended independent claims. The invention is based on the inventor's realization that providing a frame feeder of paper board enhances beekeeping and provides the possibility for the beekeeper to burn the frame feeder after its lifetime and prevents poisonous material and substances to be discharged in the nature during disposal of the frame feeder.

[0012] According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a frame feeder for bee feeding for being fitted inside a beehive. The frame feeder comprises: A paperboard sheet comprising a plurality of portions to be folded into a folding state and defining a holding volume, wherein the plurality of portions comprises a bottom portion extending in a first plane, and four side portions configured to be folded out of said first plane. The bottom portion and the four side portions together form a holding volume for holding a liquid bee feed in the folding state.

[0013] The volume may be an open or a closed volume. Said four side portions may be folded into planes perpendicular to said first plane. The first plane may be a horizontal plane. The bottom portion may be configured to be placed onto a supporting surface.

[0014] By the provided frame feeder, beekeeping may be enhanced by giving bees a good environment for surviving wither with a reduced risk of death and illness. The frame feederfurther simplifies for the beekeeper to feed the bees with a liquid bee feed, and to replace the frame feeder when necessary, without creating a negative environmental impact.

[0015] Further, the paperboard sheet folded into the holding volume may provide for an efficient distribution, as the paperboard sheet may be mailed in flat packages and therefore take up less volume than e.g., a plastic frame feeder. The design allows for an easy and quick assembly of the beekeeper.

[0016] By providing a frame feeder of paperboard, which is highly combustible, the frame feeders may be burnt after their lifetime without a negative environmental effect. The production of cardboard is also generally environmentally friendly and do generally not contain any poisonous substances. Paperboard may also be recycled if permitted by applicable law. The frame feeder may be sized and formed to be placed inside a beehive. The material and the geometry of the frame feeder may also be stable and have a low risk of collapsing. Paperboard may be more environmentally friendly to produce than e.g. plastic. Paperboard may also be cost-efficient to produce. Moreover, the paperboard of the frame feeder may meet legal requirements regarding food safety.

[0017] The frame feeder may comprise an outer wooden frame wherein the paperboard sheet is placed inside the outer wooden frame when in use.

[0018] The wooden frame may provide stability and retaining the structure of the bee feeder. It may keep the form of the folded paperboard sheet even if filled with liquid bee feed. It may also facilitate moving of the frame feeder to a new location. The provision of a wooden frame, in which the bee feeder is placed may imply that less thickness is required of the cardboard since the stability of the frame feeder may be provided by the wooden frame. The wooden frame may also protect the bee feeder from deformation, e.g., by moisture. It may further be possible to replace the wooden frame but continue to use the cardboard bee feeder or the opposite and thereby resources may be reused and reducing the effect on the environment.

[0019] The wooden frame may meet disease prevention legal requirements since wood is combustible, and it may be boiled in caustic soda for purification.The wooden frame may be made of pine. Pine is generally strong and durable which may make is suitable to use for the production of the wooden frame.

[0020] The four side portions may be glued or welded to the bottom portion and to at least two other of the four side portions.

[0021] The sheet may comprise pre-defined folding lines. The pre-defined folding lines may facilitate folding of the cardboard sheet into the bee feeder. It may further make it clear for the beekeeper or another person who is folding the cardboard sheet into the bee feeder along what lines the sheet is to be folded to get a bee feeder with suitable geometry. The lines may be indentations or pre-folding marks and / or drawn lines that simplifies the folding.

[0022] The boundaries of the bottom portion may be defined by said pre-defined folding lines of the sheet and wherein the boundaries of said four side portions are defined by said predefined folding lines of the sheet and by the boundaries of the sheet.

[0023] The wooden frame may comprise framing elements for holding the paperboard in the folded state and support the paperboard for holding the liquid bee feed.

[0024] Each of the paperboard sheet's four side portions may be glued or welded to the bottom portion and / or to at least two other of the paperboard sheet's four side portions. Hereby, the different portions may be fastened in the desired position.

[0025] The paperboard sheet may be substantially rectangular before folding it. A rectangular cardboard sheet may be cost-efficient to produce and space-efficient to transport. A rectangular cardboard sheet may also be suitable to fold into a bee feeder with suitable geometry with a bottom portion and four side portions that the sheet may be formed by folding the sheet. A rectangular cardboard sheet may also be suitable for folding the corners of the sheet into flaps.

[0026] The bee feeder may comprise four flaps which are folded inwards from the corners of the paperboard sheet so that the four flaps are located inside the holding volume when the paperboard is in its folded state.The paperboard sheet may comprise two protruding portions on opposite sides of a center line of said sheet. Portions of the sheet which are folded into two of the side portions of the bee feeder may include said protruding portions. In such case, the general form of the sheet is not rectangular, but has several protruding portions.

[0027] Two first of the four side portions may have similar geometry and the two other side portions may have similar geometry. This geometry may be suitable for a bee feeder to be able to contain as large volume of bee feed as possible for a sheet of a specific area.

[0028] The holding volume, in any one of the examples given in this application, may hold about 1-10 liter, preferably about 2- 5-liter liquid bee feed.

[0029] The entire frame feeder may be made of non-toxic materials, suitable for being disposed through fire. Hereby, the entire frame feeder may be disposed by fire. This may include the wooden frame.

[0030] According to one aspect a beehive may be provided with a frame feeder according to any one of the examples and optional features as described above.

[0031] According to further one aspect a method of fitting a frame feeder for bee feeding inside a beehive is herein disclosed. The method comprise the steps of providing a paperboard sheet; orienting a bottom portion of the paperboard sheet in a first plane; folding the paperboard sheet into a folding state by folding four side portions of the sheet out of the first plane from the bottom portion such that a holding volume is formed for holding a liquid bee feed between the bottom portion and the side portions.

[0032] The method may provide the same advantages as the frame feeder. By the method a frame feeder may be time-efficiently folded into a bee feeder. The method may be performed without any tools. The method may be performed by one person. The sheet may be placed onto a supporting surface and by fixing one portion of the sheet onto the surface and folding the four side portions. The supporting surface may be horizontal and thereby the four side portions may be folded into vertical planes. By the method a space-inefficient transport of a ready-to-use frame feeder may be avoided and replaced by a transportation in flat packages which is subsequently folded by the user.Folding four first side portions of the sheet inwards into planes perpendicular to said first plane may provide a space-efficient bee feeder which may hold a large volume of bee feed in relationship to the area of the sheet of which the bee feeder is formed.

[0033] The method may further comprise a step of folding four corners of the paperboard sheet inwards so that the corners are provided inside the holding volume when the paperboard sheet is in the folded state. The corner flaps may prevent leakage of bee feed from the frame feeder.

[0034] The method may further entail that the four corners of the paperboard sheet are folded into two angled portions parted by a diagonal line extending from a corner of the paperboard sheet to a corner of the bottom portion of the paperboard sheet.

[0035] The method may further comprise a step of gluing or welding at least one of said four side portions to another one of said four side portions.

[0036] The method may further comprise the steps of providing a wooden frame sized and formed to hold said paperboard sheet in said folding state, and placing the paperboard sheet in said folding state in the wooden frame.

[0037] The method may further comprise the steps of fitting the wooden frame with said paperboard sheet in said folding state into a beehive and filling the holding volume with a liquid bee feed.

[0038] The wooden frame may comprise a bottom portion extending in a second plane a front portion extending in plane perpendicular to the second plane a back portion extending in parallel with the front portion two reinforcement portions extending perpendicular to the bottom portion and the front portion. Said wooden frame may provide stability to the frame feeder and protect the cardboard from harsh weather conditions. Said method step may enable the wooded frame and the cardboard sheet to be transported separately. Said method step may be performed at the intentional use location of the frame feeder. The bottom portion of the wooden frame may be placed onto a supporting surface which may be horizontal.Any example or optional feature described in relation to the frame feeder above, may be implemented with the method as described. E.g., regardless of if the paper board is just folded or folded and glued or welded, regardless of the initial shape etc.

[0039] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0040] The invention will in the following be described in more detail with reference to the enclosed drawings, wherein:

[0041] Fig. la illustrates a top view of a sheet of cartoon from which a bee feeder is foldable. Fig. lb illustrates a top view of a sheet of cartoon from which a bee feeder is foldable. Fig. 2 illustrates a top view of a sheet of cartoon from which a bee feeder is begun to be folded.

[0042] Fig. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a sheet of cartoon from which a bee feeder is folded and is being placed into a wooden frame.

[0043] Fig. 4 illustrates a perspective side view of a sheet of cartoon from which a bee feeder is folded and is placed in a position for use in a wooden frame.

[0044] Fig. 5 illustrates a top view of a sheet of cartoon from which a bee feeder is folded and is placed in a position for use in a wooden frame.

[0045] Fig. 6 illustrates schematic flow chart of a method for fitting a frame feeder.

[0046] Fig. 7 illustrates schematic view of fitting a frame feeder into a beehive.

[0047] Detailed description

[0048] The present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements. Fig. la illustrates an example of a paperboard sheet that may be made of cardboard. The paper sheet may be made of other materials and coated with wax or other materials to withstand the environment in a beehive. The sheet 1 in the illustrated embodiment is substantially rectangular. The sheet comprises a central portion 11. The central portion 11 is rectangular in the illustrated embodiment. The sheet further comprises two short side portions 12, 13 which are located on opposite sides of said central portion 11, along the long side of said sheet 1 and which also are rectangular. The sheet further comprises two long side portions 14, 15 which are located on opposite sides of said central portion 11, along the long sides of said rectangular sheet and which also are substantially rectangular.

[0049] The sheet further comprises four corners 16, 17, 18, 19 that are best illustrated in fig. 2 (and only denoted there. The corners each comprise two triangular portions 161;162, 171;172, 181;182, 191;192 on each side of a folding line between the corners and a corner folding line of the central portion 11. The corners are quadratic in the illustrated embodiment. The corners each comprises two triangular portions 161, 162.

[0050] The sheet may comprise pre-defined folding lines FL between adjacent portions of the sheet 1, e.g. between the central portion 11 and the long side portions 14, 15, between the central portion 11 and the short side portions 12, 13. The sheet 1 may further comprises pre-defined folding lines FL between the long side portion 14 and the triangular portions 162, 171 and between the long side portion 15 and the triangular portions 182, 191. The sheet 1 may further comprises pre-defined folding lines FL between the short side portion 12 and the triangular portions 161, 181 and between the long side portion 15 and the triangular portions 182, 191. The sheet 1 may further comprises pre-defined folding lines FL between the triangular portions 161, 162, between the triangular portions 171, 172 triangular portions 181, 182, between the triangular portions 181, 182 and between the triangular portions 191, 192.The bee feeder illustrated comprises a bottom portion which is the central portion 11 of the sheet 1. The bee feeder further comprises four side portions which are the long side portions 14, 15 and short side portions 12, 13 of the sheet 1 when folded out from a first plane in which the rectangular sheet 1 has extended in the first plane. A bottom portion is the central portion 11, extending in the first plane.

[0051] The bee feeder comprises four flaps which are folded inwards from the triangular portions 161;162, 171;172, 181;182, 191; 192. The flaps are formed by folding the triangular portions 161, 162 which are folded into planes substantially perpendicular to the first plane. If the bottom portion is oriented horizontal, the triangular portions 161, 162 are thereby oriented vertical.

[0052] Fig. lb illustrates a sheet of cardboard with the same principles as in fig la, but in which the corners are removed so that there are no flaps extending into the cardboard. The sheet comprises a central portion 21 which is rectangular in the illustrated embodiment. The sheet comprises two protruding side portions 221, 231; which comprises protrusions 221, 231. The protrusions 221, 231 protrude from a substantially rectangular portion of the sheet. The sheet further comprises long side portions 24, 25 along the long sides of the substantially rectangular portion of the sheet 2. The sheet further comprises corner portions 26, 27, 28, 29. The corners 26, 28, 28, 29 are rectangular.

[0053] The sheet 2 comprises pre-defined folding lines FL between the central portion 21 and the long side portions 24, 25, between the central portion 21 and the protruding portions 221;, 231;, between the long side portions 24, 35 and the rectangular corners and between the protruding portions 221;, 231; and the rectangular corners.

[0054] The illustrated bee feeder as illustrated in fig. lb comprises a bottom portion which is the central portion 21 of the sheet. The bee feeder further comprises long side portions 24, 25 which are folded from said first plane. The bee feeder further comprises side portions which are, the protruding portions 221;, 231; folded from said first plane. The corners portions 26, 28 are folded to a position in which they are parallel and in the proximity of the side portion 221; and the corners 27, 29 are folded to a position in which they are parallel and in the proximity of the side portions 231; such that said corners provide support to said side portions.The long side portions and the short side portions may in any embodiment be glued or welded to the bottom portion 11. The glue is preferably sufficiently strong to uphold a durable attachment of the long side portions 14, 15 and the short side portions 12, 13 to the bottom portion 11 with an angle between the bottom portion 11 and each of the side portions 12, 13, 14, 15. Triangular portions 161, 181 may be welded or glued to the short side portion 12 on opposite sides of said short side portion 12. Similarly, triangular portions 172, 192 are welded or glued to the short side portion 13 on opposite sides of said short side portion 13. Triangular portions 162, 171 are welded or glued to the long side portion 14 on opposite sides of said long side portion 14 and to the triangular portions 161, 172, respectively. Triangular portions 182, 191 are welded or glued to the long side portion 15 on opposite sides of said long side portion 14 and to the triangular portions 181, 192, respectively.

[0055] The two side portions 221, 231, as illustrated in the example in fig lb may be glued or welded to the bottom portion 21 on opposite sides of said bottom portion 21. Another two side portions 24, 25, oriented similar as in said second embodiment, are welded or glued to the bottom portion 21 on opposite sides of said bottom portion. Two rectangular portions 26, 28 are glued or welded to the side portion 221, on opposite surface sides of said side portion 221,. Two rectangular portions T1 , 29 are glued or welded to the side portion 221, on opposite surface sides of said side portion 231.

[0056] In fig. 2, the paperboard sheet has begun to be folded into its folded state. It is illustrated in a position between the unfolded (flat) state and before reaching the folded state, in which it is intended to be used. The corners 16, 17, 18, 19 are folded into, towards the holding volume. The bottom portion 11 (also called the central portion 11) is located flat in a first plane, and the corners are folded out of the plane. The folding crests are made along the predefined folding lines illustrated with dashed lines.

[0057] In fig. 3 the frame feeder 10 comprised by the paperboard sheet 1, 2 has been folded into its folded state. Further, the paperboard sheet may be placed inside a wooden frame 3, as is illustrated in Fig. 3, 4 and 5 from three different perspectives, a perspective view in fig 3, a side view in fig 4 and a top view in fig 5.The wooden frame as illustrated may comprise two side portions 31, 32. The side portions 31, 32 may be connected by a bottom portion 33 (or several bottom portions) and / or upper transversal portions 34, 35. The different portions may be beams e.g. in the form of wooden boards of any wood material. It has been evaluated with pine wood that has been working well.

[0058] The attachment means for attaching the side portions 31, 32 and bottom portion 33 with the transversal portions 34 may be e.g., nails, screws, tacks and / or glue. The upper and lower transversal portions / beam may be arranged on the outermost position of the side portions 31, 32 such that the bee feeder may be placed inside said transversal beams. The bottom portion 33 is arranged at an inner position of the width of the side portions 31, 32. The upper transversal portions 34 have projecting portions projecting outside of the side portions 31, 32 as seen in Fig. 3a. The bottom portion 33 and the side portions 31, 32 of the wooden frame 3 may be placed onto a supporting surface, e.g., a horizontal supporting surface. The bottom portion 11, 21 of the bee feeder may be placed onto the bottom portion 33 of the wooden frame 3. The long side portions 14, 15 of the bee feeder may be placed inside and be horizontally supported by the upper transversal beams 34 and the lower transversal beams 35.

[0059] Fig. 4 illustrates a side view of what has been discussed in more detail in fig. 3, but wherein the paper board feeder is fully inserted into the wooden frame and ready to use.

[0060] In fig. 5 the bee feeder is illustrated from above. Here the holding volume is clearly illustrated, and the corners 16, 17, 18, 19 folded into the holding volume. The corner is folded along the folding lined FL and creating the flaps extending into the volume. The holding volume may be 1-10 liter, preferably 2-5 liter.

[0061] Fig. 6 illustrates a flow chart of a method of fitting a frame feeder for bee feeding within a beehive which is detailed in the following steps, as illustrated in the flow chart of Fig. 6. The process begins with the providing SI of a paperboard sheet, which serves as the primary material for constructing the frame feeder. This step involves selecting a suitable paperboard sheet that is both durable and foldable. It can be e.g., cardboard.As a second step a bottom portion 11 of the paperboard sheet 1,2 is oriented in a first plane. This orientation will establish a base plan upon which the subsequent folding operations will be performed.

[0062] The third step is folding S3 the paperboard sheet into a folded state by elevating four side portions 11, 12, 13, 14, 15: 221, 231, 24, 25 out of the first plane. This action creates a holding volume, designed to contain liquid bee feed, bounded by the bottom portion and the side portions.

[0063] In a fourth optional step the corners 12, 13, 14, 15, and simultaneously as the side portions are folded, the four corners of the paperboard sheet 1 are folded inwards as has been described above. With this folding the corners within the holding volume, provides a leak proof holding volume. It is also an inexpensive way of achieving the volume since a rectangular shape of the initial unfolded paperboard sheet may be used.

[0064] Each of the four corners may be further folded S5 into two angled portions. These portions are defined by a diagonal folding line FL that extends from a corner of the paperboard sheet to a corresponding corner of the bottom portion 11. This configuration reinforces the corners and contributes to the stability of the holding volume.

[0065] The method may further include an optional step of securing the folded structure by gluing or welding at least one of the four side portions to another. This step ensures that the holding volume remains stable and leak-proof during use.

[0066] The method may further include to provide S5 a wooden frame 3, sized and shaped to accommodate the paperboard sheet 1, 2 in its folded state. This frame offers additional support, maintaining the integrity of the feeder during handling and use.

[0067] The paperboard sheet, now in its folded state, may then be placed S6 inside the wooden frame 3. This placement ensures that the feeder is held securely and is ready for installation within a beehive.

[0068] Subsequently, the wooden frame with the paperboard sheet may be fitted S7 into a beehive. This is also schematically illustrated in figure 7. It is also possible to keep the wooden frame within the beehive during the replacement of a paperboard sheet. This stepinvolves positioning the frame feeder such that it is accessible to the bee colony for feeding purposes, but also for a beekeeper for refilling liquid bee feed. And this is the optional last step illustrated in the flow chart, in which the holding volume formed by the folded paperboard sheet 1, 2 is filled with liquid bee feed. This feed provides essential nourishment to the bee colony, supporting their health and productivity.

[0069] Further, any one of the optional features that are described in relation to the frame feeder may be implemented as optional steps in the method also.

[0070] Also, all features described above in the detailed descriptions are merely examples for understanding how the inventive concept may be implement and should not be limiting for the scope of protection. The scope of protection is defined by the claims.

Claims

Claims1. A frame feeder (10) for being fitted inside a beehive (100), the frame feeder is characterized in that the frame feeder comrises:a paperboard sheet (1, 2) comprising a plurality of portions (11, 12, 13, 14, 15; 221, 231, 24, 25) to be folded into a folding state and defining a holding volume, wherein the plurality of portions comprisea bottom portion (11) extending in a first plane, and four side portions (12, 13, 14, 15) configured to be folded out of said first plane,whereinthe bottom portion (11) and the four side portions (12, 13, 14, 15) together form a holding volume for holding a liquid bee feed in the folding state.

2. A frame feeder according to claim 1 further comprising an outer wooden frame (3) wherein the paperboard sheet (1, 2) is placed inside the outer wooden frame (3) when in use.

3. A frame feeder according to claim 2, wherein the outer wooden frame (3) comprises framing elements for holding the paperboard sheet (1, 2) in the folded state and support the paperboard sheet (1, 2) for holding the liquid bee feed.

4. A frame feeder according to any of the preceding claims wherein each of the four side portions (12, 13, 14, 15) of the paperboard sheet are glued or welded to the bottom portion (11) and to at least two other of the four side portions (12, 13, 14, 15) of the paperboard sheet.

5. A frame feeder according to any of the preceding claims wherein the paperboard sheet (1, 2) comprises pre-defined folding lines (FL).

6. A frame feeder according to any of the preceding claims wherein the paperboard sheet (1, 2) is substantially rectangular before folding it.

7. A frame feeder according to claim 6 wherein the frame feeder (10) comprises four flaps which are folded inwards from the corners of the paperboard sheet so that thefour flaps are located inside the holding volume when the paperboard sheet is in its folded state.

8. A frame feeder according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the entire frame feeder (10) is made of non-toxic materials, suitable for being disposed through fire.

9. A beehive (100) comprising a frame feeder according to any one of claims 1-8.

10. A method of fitting a frame feeder (10) for bee feeding inside a beehive comprising the steps of:providing (SI) a paperboard sheet (1, 2);orienting (S2) a bottom portion (11) of the paperboard sheet in a first plane; folding (S3) the paperboard sheet (1, 2) into a folding state by folding four side portions (12, 13, 14, 15) of the sheet out of the first plane from the bottom portion (11) such that a holding volume is formed for holding a liquid bee feed between the bottom portion (11) and the side portions (12, 13, 14, 15).

11. The method of fitting a frame feeder (10) according to claim 10, further comprising the step of folding (S4) four corners of the paperboard sheet (1, 2) inwards so that the corners are provided inside the holding volume when the paperboard sheet (1, 2) is in the folded state.

12. The method of fitting a frame feeder (10) according to claim 11, wherein the four corners of the paperboard sheet (1, 2) are folded into two angled portions on each side of a diagonal folding line extending from a corner of the paperboard sheet to a corner of the bottom portion of the paperboard sheet (1, 2).

13. The method of fitting a frame feeder (10) according to any one of claims 10-12, further comprising a step of gluing or welding at least one of said four side portions (12, 13, 14, 15) to another one of said four side portions.

14. The method of fitting a frame feeder (10) according to any one of claims 10-13, further comprising the steps of:providing (S5) a wooden frame (3) sized and formed to hold said paperboard sheet (1, 2) in said folding state, andplacing (S6) the paperboard sheet (1, 2) in said folding state in the wooden frame (3).

15. The method of fitting a frame feeder according to claim 14, further comprising the steps of fitting (S7) the wooden frame (3) with said paperboard sheet (1, 2) in said folding state into a beehive (100), and filling (S8) the holding volume with a liquid bee feed.

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