Artificial nest for solitary bees and application method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12478046-B2
Application number	US-202519016962-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2025
Priority date	Oct 19, 2021
Publication date	Nov 25, 2025
Grant date	Nov 25, 2025

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the field of artificial honeycombs, in particular to an artificial nest for solitary bees and an application method of the artificial nest. The artificial nest comprises a main enclosure tube, hanging rings, a plurality of trapping hollow tubes and tightening mechanisms used for clamping the trapping hollow tubes. The hanging rings are arranged at an outer sidewall of the main enclosure tube. The tightening mechanisms are annularly arranged at an inner sidewall of the main enclosure tube, and the trapping hollow tubes are fixed in a ring of each tightening mechanism in an axis direction of the main enclosure tube. Each tightening mechanism comprises a connecting steel wire and fastening springs. The sidewall of the main enclosure tube is provided with fixing holes for fixing the tightening mechanisms.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An application method of an artificial nest for solitary bees, comprising the following steps:
S 1 : hanging, by a main enclosure tube ( 1 ), the artificial nest on a tall tree or a telephone pole by means of hanging rings ( 2 ), and meanwhile, providing an initial tension to fastening springs ( 42 ) in tightening mechanisms ( 4 ) to fasten and clamp trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) into the tightening mechanisms ( 4 ), thereby preventing the trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) from falling off the tree or pole due to the influence of external factors; S 2 : enabling an opening of the main enclosure tube ( 1 ) to face east, south or southeast and to be 1 to 2 m away from the ground; S 3 : checking the trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ), and sampling and dissecting so as to observe a nesting condition of bee species in the trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ); and S 4 : according to the nesting condition of bee species in the trapping hollow tube ( 3 ), selecting new trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) with an appropriate size to replace the original trapping hollow tubes.

2 . The application method of the artificial nest for solitary bees according to claim 1 , wherein when each trapping hollow tube ( 3 ) is dissected in step S 3 , one end of the trapping hollow tube ( 3 ) is pressed against a brim of a white porcelain plate, and a sealed end of a cell faces an experimenter; an area of about one third of the circumference of the trapping hollow tube is gently split with a knife along a direction of the tube; as the knife is sharp, in order to reduce damage to the cell, only 5 cm of the tube is cut with the knife, and then the tube is gently broken off by hand along the cut section of the tube.

3 . The application method of the artificial nest for solitary bees according to claim 1 , wherein the step S 4 of selecting new trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) is conducted such that the new trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) for trapping Isodontia nigella have a tube diameter of 9 mm to 10 mm; the new trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) for trapping Rhynchium quinquecinctum have a tube diameter of 10 mm to 11 mm; and the new trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) for trapping Euodynerus nipanicus and Osmia excavata Alfken have a tube diameter of 5 mm to 7 mm.

4 . The application method of the artificial nest for solitary bees according to claim 1 , wherein the step S 3 of checking the trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) is conducted monthly.

5 . An application method of an artificial nest for solitary bees, comprising the following steps:
providing the artificial nest, the nest comprising a main enclosure tube ( 1 ), hanging rings ( 2 ), a plurality of trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ), and tightening mechanisms ( 4 ) for clamping the trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ); S 1 : hanging, by the main enclosure tube ( 1 ), the artificial nest on a tall tree or a telephone pole by means of the hanging rings ( 2 ), and meanwhile, providing an initial tension to the tightening mechanisms ( 4 ) to fasten and clamp the trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) into the tightening mechanisms ( 4 ), thereby preventing the trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) from falling off the tree or pole due to the influence of external factors; S 2 : enabling an opening of the main enclosure tube ( 1 ) to face east, south or southeast and to be 1 to 2 m away from the ground; and S 3 : checking the trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ), and sampling and dissecting the trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) so as to observe a nesting condition of bee species in the trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ).

6 . The application method of the artificial nest for solitary bees according to claim 5 , further comprising:
S 4 : according to the nesting condition of bee species in the trapping hollow tube ( 3 ), selecting new trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) with an appropriate size to replace the original trapping hollow tubes.

7 . The application method of the artificial nest for solitary bees according to claim 6 , wherein the step S 4 of selecting new trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) is conducted such that the new trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) for trapping Isodontia nigella have a tube diameter of 9 mm to 10 mm; the new trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) 1 for trapping Rhynchium quinquecinctum have a tube diameter of 10 mm to 11 mm; and the new trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) for trapping Euodynerus nipanicus and Osmia excavata Alfken have a tube diameter of 5 mm to 7 mm.

8 . The application method of the artificial nest for solitary bees according to claim 5 , wherein when each trapping hollow tube ( 3 ) is dissected in step S 3 , one end of the trapping hollow tube ( 3 ) is pressed against a brim of a plate, and a sealed end of a cell faces an experimenter; an area of about one third of the circumference of the trapping hollow tube is gently split with a knife along a direction of the tube; as the knife is sharp, in order to reduce damage to the cell, only 5 cm of the tube is cut with the knife, and then the tube is broken off by hand along the cut section of the tube.

9 . The application method of the artificial nest for solitary bees according to claim 5 , wherein the step S 3 of checking the trapping hollow tubes ( 3 ) is conducted monthly.

Assignees

• Univ Zhejiang
• Hainan Institute Of Zhejiang Univ
• Huzhou Plant Prot Quarantine And Fertilizer Management Station

Inventors

• Zhu Zengrong
• Lv Jin
• Yuan Xin
• Zhou Wenwu
• Qian Ping
• Wu Wendi

Classifications

• Y02P60/00

  Technologies relating to agriculture, livestock or agroalimentary industries · CPC title

• A01K51/00

  Appliances for treating beehives or parts thereof, e.g. for cleaning or disinfecting · CPC title

• A01K47/06 Primary

  Other details of beehives, e.g. ventilating devices, entrances to hives, guards, partitions or bee escapes · CPC title

• A01K47/04

  Artificial honeycombs · CPC title

• A01K67/30 Primary

  Rearing or breeding invertebrates · CPC title