HIVE (VERSIONS), ASSEMBLY AND YEAR-ROUND BEE KEEPING METHOD Russian patent published in 2001 - IPC

FIELD: apiculture. SUBSTANCE: hive for autumn-winter and spring-summer keeping of bee families has body casings with main and auxiliary bee entrances, frames mounted in casing, ceiling, section positioned below roof, cover and bottom casing, base and rest with supports. Cover, section under roof, ceiling, base, body and bottom casings are formed as separate modules of round cross section which are mounted in succession one onto the other. Cover is formed as flat continuous disk with radial channels positioned at side adjacent to section under roof. Ceiling is formed from two disks with through slit-shaped openings. Section under roof and body casing are made in the form of three-layer cylindrical pipes. Bottom casing is made in the form of cylindrical sleeve with bottom and through slit-shaped openings in cylindrical surfaces. Rest with supports is mounted on end of bottom casing opposed to end cooperating with end of body casing. Frames are positioned on base. Cavity communicated with atmosphere is positioned between lower ends of frames and bottom of bottom casing. Body casing wall has outer polymeric layer and inner wooden layer. Method involves forming bee cluster in hive; providing access of bees to feed in different casings positioned on bottom with rest; performing rotation of body casings; reducing volume of hive casing for autumn-winter season by removing body casing from hive, which had been in lower position in spring-summer season, and positioning required number of honey comb frames in chordial line, inner wall circle, radial lines and groups formed as three-sided prisms arranged between radially positioned frames. In spring, first body casing with wintered bee family is lifted and second body casing with similar frame arrangement is mounted under first casing on rest, with following setting of opening sizes for spring-summer season. EFFECT: improved bee keeping conditions during at least one reproduction cycle. 49 cl, 14 dwg