Bioactive honey production environment and method
OwnerDavid Mundayinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An artificially-created honey-yielding environment is established, including a hive and an associated flora cell, within which first and second plant populations cohabit. Within the cell, honey-producing insects from the hive are permitted to forage. One of the populations has been artificially introduced. The other may be indigenous to the cell. The first plant population serves as a primary source of nectar which yields bioactive honey and the second serves as a source of a nutrient, such as protein, which is not abundantly available from the first species at a nutritionally adequate level for sustaining the metabolism and energy of the foraging honey-producing insects for returning to the hive. The first flora population may be a Leptospermum species. An example of the second is Corymbia maculata.
Claims12
An artificially-created honey-yielding environment, for producing bioactive honey on an industrial scale, the environment comprising:
- a hive and, associated therewith,
- a flora cell, within which first and second plant populations cohabit, one of which has been artificially introduced, and within which honey-producing insects from the hive are permitted to forage, the first plant population being selected as a primary source of a nectar from which a bioactive honey type is derivable, and
- the second plant population comprising nutrition-providing plants suitable for nourishing honey-producing insects,
- wherein the first and second plant populations flower at different times of the year, and
- the second plant population comprises individuals located remote from the hive at distances selected for extending foraging range of the insects from the hive.
An artificially-created bioactive honey-producing flora cell for producing bioactive honey on an industrial scale, the flora cell including:
- a. a cell layout wherein
- i. a first population of primary honey-source plants co-exists with a second population of plants selected as a source of a supplemental nutrient, augmenting nutrition for foraging honey-producing insects,
- ii. the honey-producing insects derive nectar for producing bioactive honey from the first population and augment their nutrition for foraging from the second population, and
- b. a hive located within foraging distance of the cell and within which honey-producing insects of a species selected for collecting nectar from the first population are resident,
- wherein at least one of the first and second populations has been artificially introduced to the cell to cohabit with the other population,
- the first and second populations flower at different times of the year, and
- individuals of the second population are located remote from the hive at distances selected for extending foraging range of the insects from the hive.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.