DE20102655U1 - Foldable swarm box for bees - Google Patents

Description

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Description Foldable swarm traps for bees

When keeping bees, swarms of bees can occur at certain times of the year. A large number of bees leave their natural or artificial habitat and temporarily settle on a nearby support such as trees, branches, fences, etc. Finally, after a few hours, the swarm moves on to a new permanent habitat.

The swarming of bees and the necessary measures to capture the swarmed colony are sufficiently described in the specialist literature, e.g. in E.

Zander and F. Böttcher, Keeping and Breeding Bees, Stuttgart 1989. For economic reasons, the professional or amateur beekeeper aims to recapture the swarm that has left. He uses aids to do this. Suitable devices are the swarm trapping boxes that are available commercially today. The well-known versions of swarm trapping boxes are solid box-shaped structures made of wood with an entrance hole, ventilation slots and grid or sieve devices. The versions known to experts are often heavy, difficult to handle, take up a lot of storage space and are generally not cheap. This is all the more disadvantageous because the box is mainly only used in the months of May, June and July and a single use typically only lasts 2 or 3 days.

There is therefore a considerable need to improve the conditions mentioned.

The invention is based on the object of avoiding the described deficiencies by means of a new design of a swarm trap box. By combining modern materials and new functional features, significant improvements can be achieved for the user. In particular, the use of special plastics, plastic corrugated cardboard, paper corrugated cardboard or refined cardboard material in combination with new methods of packaging technology eliminates the disadvantages mentioned.

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The swarm trapping box according to the invention differs significantly from the few cardboard containers known to beekeepers and experts, which were commercially available many years ago as so-called "artificial swarm boxes".

A typical embodiment of the swarm trapping box according to the invention consists of an easy-to-assemble and largely self-locking folding box made of paper, cardboard, plastic or other combined or derived materials. The swarm trapping box developed is designed in such a way that it has a small packing mass when folded up. The use of glue, adhesive tape or other aids is not necessary for assembly and disassembly.

A preferred embodiment is designed using a self-fixing technique (so-called "carding technique"). Techniques that require no or only a few additional parts are preferred. The use of the remaining waste from the manual intervention is particularly preferred.

When assembled, the developed box has preferred external dimensions of 15 to 50 cm x 15 to 50 cm x 15 to 50 cm, preferably 20 to 40 cm x 20 to 40 cm x 20 to 40 cm, in particular around 30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm, but larger or smaller dimensions are also possible. Preferred are implementations that consist of just one large punched part that, through sensible construction, already contains as many of the necessary functional features as possible. For example, a preferred embodiment has an integrated handle. Typically at one point there is an entrance hole with a diameter of at least 5 mm, preferably 2 to 5 mm, in particular 3 to 4.5 mm, which can be easily closed with a flap with a lip. The flap can also be locked in the open position. Ventilation slots are provided at one or more locations, which may be interrupted to increase mechanical stability.

Another embodiment can have a glued-in, close-meshed grid instead of the slots. Another embodiment of the box has additional slots or devices on the inside to give the bees enough support to hang on or build. The present

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This design allows the bees to start building on the inside cut edges of the integrated handle. All slots and other openings have a maximum diameter of 3 mm, preferably 0.1 to 3.0 mm, especially 0.5 to 2.5 mm, to prevent the bees from escaping. Additional devices or eyelets in addition to using the recess in the handle to hang up the box are also conceivable.

The swarm trap according to the invention has an integrated handle that allows for easy handling. During assembly, the handle can be fixed, for example, by inserting a tab or another object into a slot or hole. Other types of fixation, such as by folding over tabs, are also possible.

The features mentioned above result in new, previously unavailable features for swarm traps:

• Extremely small storage dimensions

• Set up or dismantled in seconds

• Stable on all 6 or 8 surfaces

• Locking of the bottom cover in the open and closed position · Ideal for carrying in the vehicle or for use at the apiary

• Practical one-handed operation

• Waterproof in the plastic version

• Reusable - almost indestructible in plastic version

• Sophisticated design with integrated entrance hole closure, ventilation slots and hanging device

• Good price/performance ratio

In general, environmentally friendly and non-toxic materials are preferred for implementation.

In a special embodiment, the folding box is made of easily flammable material such as simple corrugated cardboard. In this form, the folding box is suitable for containing infectious bee diseases, e.g. the so-called American foulbrood.

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The container can be used, if necessary, for the killing, disposal and subsequent incineration of the diseased bee colonies.

The processes known to experts for the impact and formation of artificial swarms are also possible with the development made.

In another embodiment, new additional functional features arise through a special design of the outer packaging. For example, the outer packaging in combination with the folding box can form a roof or a floor base during the usage phase.

An embodiment of the device is shown in Figure 1 and is described in more detail below. The drawing is not to scale, as it is only intended to better illustrate the device.

Figure 1 shows the device, in particular the main part (1) punched out from the suitable materials described above. It can be brought together on one side (2) using suitable methods known to those skilled in the art, so that a folding box is created. The box can be shipped before or after being brought together. Integrated features and functions of the device are: handle (3), entrance hole (4), entrance hole closure (5), entrance hole closure lock in the closed state (6), entrance hole closure lock in the open state (7), ventilation slots (8), ventilation slot interruption to increase stability (9), slot for receiving a locking aid for the handle (10), recess for manual grip or suspension (11) - the punched out material can be used to lock in the slots (10).

Claims (18)

1. Swarm trapping box for bees, characterized in that it is designed as a foldable box in which the storage and transport dimensions are minimized without restricting functionality, thus ensuring easy availability when needed. 2. Swarm trap box according to claim 1, characterized in that the material used is gnaw-resistant or gnaw-proof cardboard, corrugated cardboard, plastic corrugated cardboard, paper, plastic or other refined or combined materials. 3. Swarm trap box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the materials used are water-resistant or waterproof. 4. Swarm trap box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that for the purpose of easy assembly and disassembly no adhesives are necessary and thus the box can be reused as often as desired. 5. Swarm trap box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that all essential functional features are taken into account in the design of the main part of the folding box, thus enabling cost-effective production. 6. Swarm trap box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a holding or carrying handle is an integral part of the device, which can be fixed using techniques known to those skilled in the art. 7. Swarm trap box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one or more devices for hanging are attached to the box. 8. Swarm trapping box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that devices for receiving a stick or handle enable the box to be guided to greater heights. 9. Swarm trap box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an entrance hole with a diameter of at least 5 mm can be easily closed with an integrated tab without any moving parts getting lost, wherein the tab can be fixed in the open and closed state. 10. Swarm trap box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the entrance hole can easily be closed with an additional small grid. 11. Swarm trap box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that punched or glued ventilation slots are present with or without interruption. 12. Swarm trapping box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inward-facing cut edges of the integrated carrying handle enable the bees to help them start building on the upper ceiling. 13. Swarm trapping box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that only environmentally friendly, non-toxic or easily combustible materials are used in order to be able to use the container for the killing, removal and subsequent incineration of diseased bee colonies. 14. Swarm trap box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that tabs, buckles or handles are used for construction, fixing and handling. 15. Swarm trap box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the box is easy to paint or print. 16. Swarm trapping box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the shape in the folded state enables compact packaging and easy shipping. 17. Swarm trap box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer packaging and folding box in combination result in new functional features during use, e.g. such as a roof or floor base. 18. Swarm trapping box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the folding box has the following integrated: one or more handles (3), one or more flight holes (4), with flight hole closure (5), flight hole closure lock in the closed state (6) and flight hole closure lock in the open state (7), ventilation slots (8), one or more ventilation slot interruptions to increase stability (9), one or more slots for receiving a locking aid of a handle (10), one or more recesses for manual interventions or suspensions (11), whereby the punched-out material can serve for locking in the slots (10).