System to detect the presence of a queen bee in a hive
View Patent ↗A system to detect the presence of a queen bee in a hive. The first system includes an RFID (radio frequency identification) tag (secured to the queen) and a RFID detection device secured adjacent the hive opening that sends an output that indicates the presence or absence of the queen bee. In a second embodiment, a bit of metal (thin foil) can be secured to the queen by means of an adhesive, and a metal detector can be positioned by the hive opening to detect the metal, and send an output that indicates the presence or absence of the queen bee. In a third embodiment, one or more infrared cameras can be positioned adjacent the hive entrance, coupled with detection scanning software that can detect the difference between a drone, a worker and a queen bee, and indicate the presence or absence of the queen bee.
1. A hive for honeybees, comprising: a hive body, a base upon which said hive body sits in such a manner as to create an opening into said hive, a cover to cover the hive body, and a system to detect the presence or absence of a queen bee in said hive, comprising a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag adapted to be secured to the queen, a detector for detecting the RFID tag when it is within range, and an output signal from the detector to indicate the presence or absence of a queen bee in a hive, wherein said detector is positioned on the exterior of said hive body adjacent said opening.
2. The hive of claim 1 , wherein the output signal is connected to: a light emitting diode (LED), whereby the LED is illuminated if the queen bee is not present and off if the queen bee is present; or a sound device, whereby the sound device is audible if the queen is not present and silent if the queen is present; or a vibration device, whereby a vibration is easily felt if the queen is not present and no vibration is felt if the queen is present.
3. The hive of claim 1 , further including a hand wand detector for detecting the location of a queen within the hive, if present, by detecting said RFID tag.
4. The hive of claim 1 , further including a receiving/sending unit for receiving a signal from said detector and for sending the output signal to a remote device.
5. A hive for honeybees, comprising: a hive body, a base upon which said hive body sits in such a manner as to create an opening into said hive, a cover to cover the hive body, and a system to detect the presence or absence of a queen bee in said hive, comprising a bit of metal adapted to be secured to the queen, a detector for detecting the metal when it is within detection range, and an output signal from the detector to indicate the presence or absence of a queen bee in a hive, wherein said detector is positioned on the exterior of said hive body adjacent said opening.
6. The hive of claim 5 , wherein the output signal is connected to: a LED, whereby the LED is illuminated if the queen bee is not present and off if the queen bee is present; or a sound device, whereby the sound device is audible if the queen is not present and silent if the queen is present; or a vibration device, whereby a vibration is easily felt if the queen is not present and no vibration is felt if the queen is present.
7. The hive of claim 5 , further including a hand wand detector for detecting the location of a queen within the hive, if present, by detecting the presence of metal.
8. The hive of claim 5 , further including a receiving/sending unit for receiving a signal from said detector and for sending the output signal to a remote device.
9. A system for finding a queen bee within a hive, comprising: a hive body, a base upon which said hive body sits in such a manner as to create an opening into said hive, a cover to cover the hive body, an RFID tag adapted to be secured to a queen bee, and a hand held wand detector for locating said RFID tag, wherein said wand detector also includes a signal output that informs the user that said RFID has been located.
10. A system for finding a queen bee within a hive, comprising: a hive body, a base upon which said hive body sits in such a manner as to create an opening into said hive, a cover to cover the hive body, a bit of metal adapted to be secured to a queen bee, and a hand held wand detector for locating said bit of metal, wherein said wand detector also includes a signal output that informs the user that said bit of metal has been located.