More particularly, the invention relates to a method and device that are used to destroy parasitic acarids of bees used for honey production, mainly the Varroa mite and the honey-bee trachea mite.

The Varroa mite is one of the greatest threats to the profitability of apiculture. If not destroyed, the mite will kill a hive within a few years. The mites can be destroyed using either chemical pesticides or so-called alternative control methods, such as formic acid, oxalic acid, and trap cakes.

Two significant problems arise when using these methods. The use of synthetic pesticides has been shown to result in the development of pesticide-resistant mite populations while, on the other hand, synthetic methods have no effect at all on trachea mites.

The use of alternative methods is hampered by the fact that the methods are often complicated to use, and by safety problems for the user and the bees. In addition, all the methods have the problem of leaving pesticide residues in the hive.

The invention is intended to eliminate these drawbacks in mite control and to create a mechanical method and device, which can be introduced to significantly reduce the use of various synthetic and organic pesticides.

According to the invention, this objective can be achieved by placing on the bottom of the beehive a mirror surface that strongly reflects light, in such a way that the light entering the hive through the flight opening is reflected upwards at an angle, through a grating plate placed on top of the mirror surface, to intersect the bees'flight path. The strongly reflected light causes the bees to try to fly towards the mirror surface. In addition, honey cakes and combs above the

mirror are reflected by its surface and help to attract the bees towards the mirror surface. The grating mesh installed on top of the mirror surface acts as a mechanical'scraper', causing the mites to detach from the bees and fall through the grating mesh, either onto the mirror surface and from there onto a cleaning plate, or through a grating mesh forming a false bottom to the hive and onto the cleaning plate. In the latter case, the mirror and the grating above it are either installed on top of the grating mesh forming a false bottom to the hive, or alternatively the grating plate forming a false bottom is bent into an upward curve, inside which the mirror surface is located. Beneath the grating mesh forming a false bottom is a cleaning plate, which is on top of the actual base plate of the hive and can be pulled out, and onto which the detached mites fall through the grating plate, and which can be removed from the hive for cleaning without disturbing the bees.

The grating mesh forming a false bottom is supported on strips that are installed above the cleaning plate, and which run without gaps around the entire hive, thus preventing the mites from moving back from the cleaning plate into the hive between cleaning times. The back of the hive has a detachable wall component, to which the rear strip is attached and which can be removed to allow the grating mesh to be pulled out of the hive.

More particularly, the method and device according to the invention are characterized by what is stated in the accompanying claims.

In the following, the invention is examined in greater detail with reference to the accompanying figures, which show cross-sectional drawings of constructions according to the invention, in which: Figure 1 shows a solution according to the invention, which includes a separate grating mesh intended to remove mites; Figure 2 shows a solution, in which the grating intended to remove the mites is bent from the grating mesh forming a false bottom, to which a mirror surface is

attached; Figure 3 shows a solution, in which there can be several mirror surfaces and grating meshes intended to remove mites; and Figure 4 shows an alternative construction of a mite trap according to the invention.

The method of the invention will become extreme clear in connection with the description of the device.

According to Figure 1, the device according to the invention, a mite trap, is formed of a cleaning plate 1, which can be manufactured from, for example, a sheet of plywood, plastic, or steel. In the case in the example, the material of the cleaning plate is a plywood sheet, with a handle 8 attached to the end that extends outside the hive, to make it easier to pull the plate out of the hive. The false floor is a steel grating mesh 2, the mesh gauge being such that it prevents the bees from going onto the cleaning plate, where mites that have fallen onto the cleaning plate could again adhere to the bees. A mirror surface 4, which strongly reflects light, is attached to the specially shaped grating mesh 3 in the manner shown in the figure, at such an angle to the bottom 7 of the hive that the light entering through the flight opening 6 is reflected upwards at an angle from the mirror surface 4, through the shaped grating mesh 3. The hive can have suitable opening or detachable wall parts, which can be removed to allow the grating meshes 2 and 3 to be pulled out of the hive. Figure 4, on the other hand, shows an alternative construction.

According to the inventive idea, the light reflected from the flight opening 6 through the mirror surface 4 induces the bees returning to the hive to fly towards the source of light, i. e. the mirror surface. On the other hand, the bees' movement towards the surface may also be increased by the fact that the mirror surface reflects the bees'own image or that of others of their species, which may induce a territorial defence reaction. Because the mirror reflects the parts

of the hive, honey cakes and combs above it, this image may also entice the bees towards the mirror surface.

Because the grating mesh 2 or 3 is on top of the mirror surface, bees can often remain for even long periods of time trying to reach the source of light behind the grating mesh. When the bees push against the grating mesh, the mites are detached from the bees and fall through the net onto the mirror surface and from there onto the cleaning plate 1, or, if the mites detach at the stage when the bee is further from the grating mesh, they will still fall through the grating mesh onto the cleaning plate. Strips 5 run without a gap around the entire bottom of the hive and, on the one hand, act as slide guides for the grating 2 and, on the other, prevent the mites from moving back into reach of the bees between the times when the cleaning plate is cleaned. Suitable guides can naturally be used for any moving component. The detached mites are removed from the hive by pulling the cleaning plate 1 out and cleaning it. After cleaning, the cleaning plate is pushed back into place.

In the embodiment according to Figure 2, though the operating principle is exactly the same as in the previous example, it is implemented technically in such a way that the shaped grating mesh 3 protecting the mirror surface is not separate, but is created by directly shaping the grating mesh 2 forming the false bottom. In that case, the mirror surface is attached directly under the shaped part of the grating mesh 2.

In the embodiment according to Figure 3, the mirror surface is not attached at all to the grating mesh 2 or 3, but instead is placed loosely on top of the grating mesh 2, the shaped grating mesh 3 being placed loosely on top of the mirror surface to protect it.

Figure 4 in turn shows an embodiment, in which the grating mesh 2 forms an essentially flat mesh component, the mirror 4 being placed, in a suitably angled position, directly on top of the cleaning plate 1. In this case, the cleaning plate is particularly a thin metal sheet. Reference number 10 marks a component

beneath the mirror 4, which has a dual function, firstly to raise the mirror 4 to a suitable angle, and secondly to create friction adhesion between the mirror and the cleaning plate, thus preventing the mirror from moving. Particularly components 10 are made from a rubber or plastic material.

Figure 4 also shows a flight board 9 placed in the immediate vicinity of the flight opening, and which can be a separate component, but can also be attached to the grating 2, in which case it will act as a suitable grip when it is wished to pull the grating out of the hive. In this embodiment, there is a strip 5'at the opposite end of the grating plate 2 to the flight board, which closes the opening in the wall of the hive that opens when the grating plate is removed. This facilitates, for example, the cleaning of the hive. In this case, the grating plate 2 is supported on suitable guides on the side wall.

It will be obvious to one versed in the art that, within the scope of the inventive idea, it is possible to envisage solutions differing from those described here, in terms of the materials used, dimensioning, and the implementation of the details of the construction. An example of other possible embodiments according to the invention concerns the number of mirrors-several mirrors can be placed one behind the other, or beside each other.