APPARATUS FOR SOWING IN ARTIFICIAL CUPS Russian patent published in 2001 - IPC

FIELD: apiculture. SUBSTANCE: apparatus has isolator for accommodating queen, and cups which are successively introduced into isolator together with artificial honeycomb. Queen is hold in isolator until it sows brood in required number of cups. One of side walls of isolator is provided with inlet opening and other side wall is provided with outlet opening for introducing or withdrawal of artificial honeycombs. Two other side walls are provided with guiding members which are joined to honeycombs for providing proper movement of artificial honeycomb through isolator. Apparatus is equipped with auxiliary reserve artificial honeycombs for continuous obtaining of sets of sown cups by periodically replacing sown cups with new reserve cups, and with transparent window allowing queens and bees to be controlled in the process of withdrawal of honeycomb from isolator, and is further provided with artificial honeycomb simulator. Side walls equipped with guiding members extend beyond side walls equipped with openings so as to define inlet and outlet guiding units which allow artificial honeycombs to be introduced and withdrawn from isolator without warping and jamming and additional honeycomb to be placed on it for preparing cups to be sown. Artificial honeycombs have feeders for attracting bees into queen's "suite" as well as for improved feeding of queen. Artificial cups of such construction allow large amounts of high-quality brood to be produced in apiaries specializing in queen rearing and production of royal jelly. EFFECT: simplified construction and reduced labor consumption by bee keepers. 6 cl, 3 dwg