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US 12,557,793 B2Granted
Bee feeder having labyrinthine passages
AssigneeTurtle Bear Holdings, LLC
InventorPaul Edward Stamets
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bee feeding apparatus having labyrinthine passages. The apparatus is useful for dispensing water, bee feeding supplements, or treatments to wild or domesticated bees. The circuitous entryway hinders or inhibits other insects such as wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets from entering the innermost regions of the feeder and accessing the bee feeding supplements.
Claims13
A method for counting bee visits to a labyrinthine bee feeding apparatus (LBF), the method comprising:
- placing one or more LBFs in a farm or crop plot;
- and
- counting bee visits to the one or more LBFs utilizing one or more monitoring devices;
- wherein the one or more LBFs comprises:
- a housing comprising:
- at least one entrance connected to one or more passageways each having at least one bend, wherein each of the at least one bend is configured to allow passage of a bee therethrough and to inhibit passage of a yellow jacket, wasp, or hornet;
- and
- at least one feed dispensing area within the housing, located at a terminus of each of the one or more passageways, the at least one feed dispensing area containing a bee feeding medium;
- and
- a one-way port leading from the at least one feed dispensing area to an exterior of the housing that is configured to allow a bee to exit the at least one feed dispensing area and to inhibit reentry of the bee and/or to prevent entry of a yellow jacket, wasp, or hornet;
- a cover member positioned over the housing that is configured to receive and secure a removable feeding vessel in fluid communication with the at least one feed dispensing area;
- and
- the housing and/or cover member comprising:
- one or more communication devices comprising:
- wireless internet receivers/transmitters;
- one or more monitoring and/or attracting devices selected from:
- internal or external video cameras,
- electric eye counter mechanisms,
- pollen sensors,
- internal or external light sources,
- sonic emitting devices,
- fragrance emitting devices, or
- combinations thereof;
- wherein the one or more monitoring devices are configured to monitor the number of bee visits to the bee feeding apparatus;
- and
- one or more power sources selected from:
- batteries,
- rechargeable batteries, or
- solar panels;
- wherein the one or more power sources is configured to provide power to the one or more communication devices and the one or more monitoring and/or attracting devices.
27 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.