The description relates to the discovery that the use of a bypass device for enabling bees to better survive winter in a hive containing a plurality of honey combs containing honey. In one aspect the device provides a passageway formed of two parallel planar surfaces defining an opening through a honey comb or support. The structural element is used in a bee hive to define a passage communicating from one face of a honey comb to an opposed face to better enable bees to survive winter on a limited supply of honey.

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.

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.

A breeding comb for solitary bees, comprised of single modules in the form of a sheet containing grooves and locks characterised in that, the grooves of the sheet are separated from one another with side walls, while in the lower part the base of the sheet contains lugs that make blocking locks and rabbets in which the side walls of the particular module are inserted, thus forming nesting tunnels with a cross-section with a shape close to a polyhedron, while in the front part the base of the sheet contains a lug and in the rear part the sheet is limited with a rear wall containing a clasp, wherein the external side walls of the sheet are fitted with clasps of the sheet and of the sheet that make side locks, right and left respectively.

A breeding comb for solitary bees, comprised of single modules in the form of a sheet containing grooves and locks characterised in that, the grooves of the sheet are separated from one another with side walls, while in the lower part the base of the sheet contains lugs that make blocking locks and rabbets in which the side walls of the particular module are inserted, thus forming nesting tunnels with a cross-section with a shape close to a polyhedron, while in the front part the base of the sheet contains a lug and in the rear part the sheet is limited with a rear wall containing a clasp, wherein the external side walls of the sheet are fitted with clasps of the sheet and of the sheet that make side locks, right and left respectively.

One form of the present application is directed to a beehive frame storage apparatus which includes an open top container having two opposing end wall panels, a horizontally extending frame support member located near an upper portion of each of the opposing end wall panels, and the frame support members are configured to permit a plurality of beehive frames to hang therefrom. The beehive frame storage apparatus further includes a plurality of vertically extending frame separation members protruding inwardly from each of the opposing end wall panels, and the plurality of frame separation members are configured to maintain a separation between the beehive frames. The beehive frame storage apparatus further includes a lid configured to engagingly cooperate with an upper edge of the open top container in a manner sufficient to form an enclosure.

One form of the present application is directed to a beehive frame storage apparatus which includes an open top container having two opposing end wall panels, a horizontally extending frame support member located near an upper portion of each of the opposing end wall panels, and the frame support members are configured to permit a plurality of beehive frames to hang therefrom. The beehive frame storage apparatus further includes a plurality of vertically extending frame separation members protruding inwardly from each of the opposing end wall panels, and the plurality of frame separation members are configured to maintain a separation between the beehive frames. The beehive frame storage apparatus further includes a lid configured to engagingly cooperate with an upper edge of the open top container in a manner sufficient to form an enclosure.

Disclosed is a hive for housing a plurality of honey bees, the hive including a substantially hollow hexagonal shaped structure that includes a three-side base forming one-half of the hexagon and a three-sided exterior roof forming the other half of a hexagon, the base and the roof configured to fit together with a front plate and an end plate to form the substantially hollow hexagonal structure to house the hive; and at least one interior bar in the shape of one-half of a hexagon configured to rest on top of the base and under the roof such that the half hexagonal shape of the interior bar approximately matches the half hexagonal shape of the roof, the interior bar having a plurality of openings extending through its cross-section for bees to travel through, the interior bar being configured to retain a honeycomb hanging therefrom, the honey comb being able to hang down into the base.

Disclosed is a hive for housing a plurality of honey bees, the hive including a substantially hollow hexagonal shaped structure that includes a three-side base forming one-half of the hexagon and a three-sided exterior roof forming the other half of a hexagon, the base and the roof configured to fit together with a front plate and an end plate to form the substantially hollow hexagonal structure to house the hive; and at least one interior bar in the shape of one-half of a hexagon configured to rest on top of the base and under the roof such that the half hexagonal shape of the interior bar approximately matches the half hexagonal shape of the roof, the interior bar having a plurality of openings extending through its cross-section for bees to travel through, the interior bar being configured to retain a honeycomb hanging therefrom, the honey comb being able to hang down into the base.

A production method for comb honey is provided, which comprises the following steps of: Step 1, making a comb frame comprising a comb honey mold and a rectangularly disposed rim, wherein several steel wires are disposed through the comb honey mold; Step 2, making a comb honey production box; Step 3, pressing a comb foundation on the steel wires in the comb honey mold; Step 4, placing several comb frames in the comb honey production box of Step 2 during the honey-secreting period; Step 5, opening a cover plate to check the comb foundation in 3-4 days after the completion of Step 4, removing a comb frame of which comb foundation has been deformed, and conducting covering with the cover plate; Step 6, opening the cover plate to check the covering situation of combs in 8-20 days after the completion of Step 5, and taking out comb frames if the covering is completed; Step 7, scraping beewax and propolis on the periphery of the comb honey mold to obtain a comb honey having the same shape as the comb honey mold. The present method can produce a comb honey unique in appearance, thus facilitating the increase in economic benefits.