Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
This invention relates to a device ~or recov~ring
comb honey.
Honey is being offered for sale almost exclusively
as extracted honey, which can be recovered only when the
honey is liquid so that it can be centrifuged. When the
honey cannot be centrifuged -~rom the combs 7 it can be
sold as comb honey consisting of chunks of honeycomb.
Whereas honey in that form is highly desirable, it is
not offered for sale in s~!bstantial quan-tities because
the recovery~ packaging and handling oP the comb chunks
is too difficult for most beekeepers and ~or the trade.
Besides, comb honey is hygienically satisfactory only
when the comb cells have not been incubated.
~or this reason it has been proposed in U.~.
Patent Specification 3~187,353 and ~ustrian Patent Spe-
cification 69,003 to recover honey, mainly honey which
; cannot be centrifuged, in the ~orm of comb honey in
section :EramesO These are small ~rames which fit the
honeycomb ~rame and are provided with very thin partitions
?0 o~ artificial material or only with partition strips of wax.
The partitions may consist of beeswax or of a support which
is covered with beeswax and may be provided on both sides
with hexagonal projections for the attachment of cell walls.
It has been fo1md that the preparation of the small frames
and o~ the partitions and the subsequent handling of chunks
of comb comprising such frames is so complicated that these
known devices have not become commercially accepted on a
l~rge scale.
For reasons which are not exactly known~ mele- `
zitose-containing dew honey crops (or larch dew honey
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crops) have greatly increased in recen-t years, mainly in the
Alpine region. In certain areas these crops are abundant and
first-grade honey can be recovered from them. Because
- melezitose-containing honey becomes gelatinous or beyins to
crystallize two or three days after it has been collected by
the bees and in that state can no longer be centrifuged, the
recovery ofcomb honey is of great significance to beekeepers,
who cannot recover that honey in the usual manner and cannot
market it as extracted honey. It is known that many beekeepers
try to avoid placing their beehives in regions in which
melezitose-containing crops are available.
A great economic loss is suffered by beekeepers
because the large quantities of melezitose-containing dew
honey crops cannot be utilized. It is an object of the
invention to provide a device which is of the kind described
first hereinbefore and which is simple in structure and operation.
The device is also desired -to permit of an effective and
inexpensive recovery of honey, mainly be beekeepers in Alpine
forest regions.
In accordance with the above objects, the invention
'' herein claimed essentially lies in the provision of a device,
; for coll'ecting honey, in the form of a box comprising: inter-
connected rigid sidewalls forming a quadrilateral defining a
pair of openings, one of which is unobstructed while the other ',
is closed by a wall provided with a raised honeycomb pattern for
the attachment'of honeycomb cells. Means are provided on the
sidewalls around at least one of the openings for removably
connecting the box to a li~ce box around a like opening of said ~'~
' like box so that two boxes may be secured together with their
like openings facing one another.
-~ ~ The device according to the inYention is structurally '' ,
.
, , simple and when filled with honey can be taken from the
2','
* on the inside only
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10795;76
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beehive and sold as a whole~
- The invention will now be described with respect to
- a preferred embodiment thereoE having reference to the.appended $
drawlngs wherein: ~
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Fig. 1 shows a honeycomb frame and boxes inserted
therein,
~ Fig. 2a is a sectional view taken on line A-B of
Fig. 2c and showing a box,
Fig. 2b is a side elevation-showing said box,
Fig. 2c is a top plan view of the box oriented as
shown in Fig. 2a,
Fig. 3 shows a honeycomb frame and boxes to be inserted
into the same and ~ _ _
Figs. 4 to 6 show how the boxes are prepared for
- being dispatched a~d sold.
The devicé according to the invention is simple in
structure and consists essentially of boxes 2, which are open
-~, on one side and have bottoms 3 which are embossed on the inside
to form hexag~nal'ribs for the attachment of honeycomb cells.
As is apparent from Figs. 3 and 1, the boxes according
to the invention are inserted from both sides into empty
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; ~ ~ honeycomb frames 1 in such a manner that the bottoms 3 abut
each other. The boxes may be secured in the honeycomb frame 1
; 20 by retaining pins 4 and holes 5 with which the bottom 3 o~
each box 2 is provided. As a result, the bottoms contact each
other. In the honeycomb frame 1, the bottoms 3 in contact with
`~ each other form vertical walls, which divide the frame into
... ,, . ~ ~, . . .
i ~ two halve~. Before the boxes 2 are used th~ey are provided with
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coating of beeswax9 which is applied in a hot, liquid ~tate.
The resulting boxes are entirely acceptable to the bees
regardless o~ the material of which the boxes are made.
When the bees can collect honey, they soon form a very
thin comb in each box, fill said comb with honey~ and
subsequently cover the cells of the comb with wax.
To recover the honey, the boxes which ha~e
been ~illed in the manner described hereinbefore are
assembled in pairs of superimposed boxes h~ing open
sides facing each other9 as is shown in Fig~ 4. In the
resulting package the pins 6 and holes 7 at the corners 8
of the boxes 2 interfit. ~his packaging operation requires
only ~ew manipulations and ensures that the honey and comb
need not be touched with the hand. When the boxes 2 have
been assembled~ they are strapped with adhesive tape as
shown in Fig. 6 to form an ab~olutely tight package which
is ready ~or dispatch.
The boxes accordi~g to the i~ention are preferab-
ly made ~rom a plastics material which is permissible for
foods~u~f packages and which can be shaped, eOg., by
deep-drawing. Other materials, such as cellophane or
the like may also be used.
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