Grid Ring Brood Comb Frame for Cylindrical Hives
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rotating brood chamber hives cause injury and destruction of bees and the queen during rotation, lead to burr-comb creation, and fail to control the sex ratio and varroa mite proliferation, making honey production and colony management inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A grid ring brood comb frame with a novel geometric configuration that creates controlled bee spaces between the brood comb frame and the hive wall, allowing only specific routes for drones and the queen, preventing burr-comb construction and enabling safe rotation and inspection, while regulating the sex ratio and reducing varroa mite proliferation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If rotating brood chamber hives are used to improve honey production efficiency, then honey production efficiency is improved, but bees and the queen are injured or destroyed during rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a rotating frame structure as an intermediary between the stationary hive and the brood comb frames. This mediator allows the brood frames to rotate independently on a horizontal plane while the hive remains stationary, eliminating direct contact forces that cause bee injury during rotation. The connection bodies securely hold frames during rotation, preventing bees from being crushed between moving and stationary parts.
2Productivity
If rotating brood frames are implemented to improve honey production, then honey production is improved, but burr-combs are created and bees glue together the rotating part with the stationary part
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the rotating function from the entire hive structure and isolates it to only the brood comb frames and their connection bodies. By separating the rotating elements (frames) from the stationary hive body, the invention prevents bees from creating burr-combs between the rotating and stationary parts, as there is no relative motion interface for bees to bridge. The rotating frames operate in isolation on the horizontal plane.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If unique insert bodies are made for every hive to prevent gluing, then gluing is prevented, but the construction becomes economically unviable and bee spaces are imprecise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs universal connection bodies and grid rings that can be used across multiple hives of the same model. The standardized components feature uniform dimensions and attachment mechanisms that work with any hive in the series, eliminating the need for custom-made inserts for each individual hive. This universal design maintains precise bee spaces while achieving economic viability through component reuse.
4Length of stationary object
If the insert body is used to create gap dimensions, then gap dimensions are created, but bees propilize the insert body excessively making inspection and disassembly difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the gap space into controlled zones using the grid ring structure with defined openings. Rather than creating a continuous propilizing surface, the grid pattern divides the gap into discrete sections that limit bee propilizing activity. The segmented structure allows worker bees to access specific areas while preventing excessive propilizing that would block inspection and disassembly operations.
5Device complexity
If exits for bees are formed only at 180° rotation positions, then structural simplicity is maintained, but selective movement and movement restriction for the queen is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the bee exit positions dynamic by linking them to the rotation angle of the brood frames. As the frames rotate, the exit positions relative to the hive body change, allowing selective access at different orientations. This dynamic positioning enables movement restriction for the queen while maintaining structural simplicity, as the same basic structure provides different functional outcomes at different rotation angles.
Data Source
AI summary
A grid ring brood comb frame for cylindrical brood chamber hives has a brood comb frame (20) carrying a comb (6), and the brood comb frame (20) is supplied with connection bodies (40) for connection to a rotating structure. A grid ring (30) is located at least partially around the external shell surface (21) of the brood comb frame (20) carrying the comb (6) and opposite the comb (6). The brood comb frame (20) and the grid ring (30) are connected to each other via connection sections (31), the grid ring (30) is supplied with a first edge (32) extending beyond a longitudinal external plane (S) resting on a side surface (22) of the brood comb frame (20). The connection sections (31) between the brood comb frame (20) and the grid ring (30) are interrupted by one or more bee spaces (34).