A heater-equipped man-made beehive incorporates a substantially enclosed hive body having a plurality of joined side walls, a floor, and a top. The hive body defines an entrance sufficient for allowing passage of bees into and from the beehive. A heating element is located inside the hive body adjacent the floor, and is adapted to raise an ambient temperature inside the beehive.

An artificial honeycomb for use in a beehive and which enables honey to be removed froth the honey-comb without removing the honeycomb from the hive; the honeycomb comprising cells and being formed of at least two parts which are moveable relative to each other between a cell formed position where the cells comprise side walls and an end wall to enable bees to fill the cell with honey, and a cell open position where at least some of the said walls have moved apart, whereby honey in the cells can be removed from the honeycomb by movement of the at least two parts to the cell open position.

An artificial honeycomb for use in a beehive and which enables honey to be removed froth the honey-comb without removing the honeycomb from the hive; the honeycomb comprising cells and being formed of at least two parts which are moveable relative to each other between a cell formed position where the cells comprise side walls and an end wall to enable bees to fill the cell with honey, and a cell open position where at least some of the said walls have moved apart, whereby honey in the cells can be removed from the honeycomb by movement of the at least two parts to the cell open position.

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.

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 comb forming device comprising a pair of plates of having substantially similar outer dimensions and having respective inner and outer surfaces, wherein the inner surfaces of the plates have formed thereon corresponding octagon shaped protrusions of one or more selected sizes; and a closure mechanism for holding the plates together in an operative position, the operative position comprising the plates compressing therebetween a frame; at least one of the plates having one or more first apertures configured to receive therethrough melted wax to be conveyed to a space formed between the plates in the operative position; at least one of the plates having one or more second apertures configured to enable a vacuum pump attached thereto to remove therethrough air from the space formed between the plates in the operative position, the vacuum pressure configured to urge the distribution of was throughout the space formed between the plates and in accordance with the octagon shaped protrusions of the inner surfaces of the plates to form thereby a comb structure.

A comb forming device comprising a pair of plates of having substantially similar outer dimensions and having respective inner and outer surfaces, wherein the inner surfaces of the plates have formed thereon corresponding octagon shaped protrusions of one or more selected sizes; and a closure mechanism for holding the plates together in an operative position, the operative position comprising the plates compressing therebetween a frame; at least one of the plates having one or more first apertures configured to receive therethrough melted wax to be conveyed to a space formed between the plates in the operative position; at least one of the plates having one or more second apertures configured to enable a vacuum pump attached thereto to remove therethrough air from the space formed between the plates in the operative position, the vacuum pressure configured to urge the distribution of was throughout the space formed between the plates and in accordance with the octagon shaped protrusions of the inner surfaces of the plates to form thereby a comb structure.