Abstract: A beekeeping apparatus includes a bottom side having an arcuate groove defined therein, the arcuate groove being sized and dimensioned to correspond to the rim of a repository; and a top side including a recessed area defined therein, the recessed area being sized and dimensioned to correspond to a beekeeping frame, and a plurality of generally rectangular openings defined through the recessed area, the rectangular openings each being sized and dimensioned to receive and retain a portion of a beekeeping frame, and collectively being sized and dimensioned to receive and retain portions of different sizes of beekeeping frames.

Abstract: A beekeeping apparatus includes a bottom side having an arcuate groove defined therein, the arcuate groove being sized and dimensioned to correspond to the rim of a repository; and a top side including a recessed area defined therein, the recessed area being sized and dimensioned to correspond to a beekeeping frame, and a plurality of generally rectangular openings defined through the recessed area, the rectangular openings each being sized and dimensioned to receive and retain a portion of a beekeeping frame, and collectively being sized and dimensioned to receive and retain portions of different sizes of beekeeping frames.

Abstract: An insect moat for bee hive stand legs has a base and a lid. An outer moat wall encloses an inner moat wall on a bottom plate, forming a moat between the inner and outer moat walls within which an insect impeding substance can be places. The inner moat wall encloses a leg chamber. A lid is removably engaged atop the base, and occludes any vertical passage into the moat, preventing rainwater, debris or stray bees from getting into the moat. A leg of a bee hive stand or other outdoor furniture is placed within a leg chamber of the base defined as within the inner moat wall, traversing through an opening in the lid, thereby being protected from the advance of ants or other crawling insects up the stand leg. A plurality of holes traversing through the bottom plate allows any rainwater to drain from the leg chamber.

Abstract: A thermal treatment of bee colonies to ensure death of bee parasites in an interior of a hive frame superstructure through transformation of short wave electromagnetic radiation to long wave thermal radiation, where an efficient temperature increase above the value of 40° C. is done by the help of a secondary thermal energy and/or a primary thermal energy when sunrays or a generated radiation permeate through a thermosolar lid on an active surface of a photo-absorbent component and/or go through a transparent screen into the interior of the hive frame superstructure and land on an active photo-absorbent layer of a thermo solar frame. Also described is construction of a device for pursuance of a thermal treatment of bee colonies. Other implementations are also described.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for continuously monitoring the weight of an object are disclosed. The apparatus does not obstruct a central portion of the bottom of the object being monitored, and is especially well-suited for monitoring the weight of a beehive. In the illustrative embodiment, a ring-shaped fluid-filled bladder is sandwiched between a ring-shaped top surface and a ring-shaped base, and a pressure hose connects the bladder to a pressure gauge. Beehive weight data can be obtained in a continuous fashion, without requiring any moving of the beehive or of the apparatus, and without any other type of disruption. Moreover, the apparatus provides a stable platform that keeps the beehive immobile during monitoring, which is beneficial for the health of the colony. Advantageously, the apparatus can be constructed from inexpensive, off-the-shelf components and materials, and is capable of obtaining accurate measurements over a wide range of temperatures and environmental conditions.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for removing parasites from bees within a hive. The apparatus has a housing that extends from a first end to a second end and has a hollow interior. An air moving device is attached to the first end and a spout is connected to the second end. A container is located within the hollow interior of the housing and contains a parasite killing solution therein. The spout is then connected to a bee hive such that a heating system in communication with the housing can cause the parasite killing solution to boil allowing the air moving device to take the steam from the parasite killing solution to the interior of the hive to kill parasites.

Abstract: A separator for facilitating removal of parasites from bees. The separator includes a bee filtration screen configured to receive bees, to allow passage of parasites therethrough, and to restrict passage of bees therethrough. An agitator is provided to agitate the bee filtration screen so as to dislodge parasites from bees received by the bee filtration screen.

Abstract: A beehive support structure has a lowermost section forming a nest floor which is supported so that it can be slid out. Above the lowermost section, the structure is adapted to support one or more honey floors. The frame-support structure can be adjusted as regards various geometric parameters, such as width, depth and height, of the various floors.

Abstract: Apparatus for feeding honey frames into a Cook & Beals automatic rotary cutter uncapping machine, the apparatus providing a pair of spaced horizontal conveyors from which are suspended honey frames to be fed into a Cook & Beals machine. The horizontal conveyors are arranged to feed the frames one by one onto spaced parallel vertical conveyors which carry the frames singly into the Cook & Beals machine. The apparatus provides a picker for pulling frames one by one from the horizontal to the vertical conveyors and a stop which acts to prevent frames on the horizontal conveyors from being transferred to the vertical conveyors except at the correct position of the vertical conveyors.

Abstract: A rotationally-driven piston used as an extractor for recovering bee's royal jelly in the use of which a mixture of lavre and royal jelly is expelled by centrifugal force against a lavre-removal screen which results in only the royal jelly continuing therethrough to a surrounding piston chamber wall, from which the royal jelly is then scraped during manual movement of a piston head axially of the piston chamber.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for detection of infestation of bees by organisms, such as parasites, particularly mites, in beehives, packages, and cages. The process and detector have a replaceable insert with an upwardly facing adhesive trapping surface with a spaced overlying screen having mesh openings sized to permit passage of infesting organisms while preventing passage of bees. The process and apparatus is particularly useful for rapid detection for the presence or absence of infesting organisms both in hives under field conditions and for purposes of certifying packages and cages free from infesting organisms and for evaluating the effectiveness of miticides for killing mites.