CLAIM 02–07
Tall frame proportions
Claimed configurations define removable, vertically oriented frames with controlled proportions, including a height at least 1.5 times the base and more comb area above the midpoint than below.
A patent measured in thermal performance
Primal Bee is not patented for looking different or simply using insulation. The issued utility patent defines an integrated hive architecture partly by how little heat it dissipates under a controlled temperature difference.
Granted July 5, 2022
Invented by Gamberoni & Riganti
Granted in the US, EU, Australia & Canada
The commercial center of gravity
What Claim 1 protects
The broadest issued US claim combines a rational hive structure with removable comb frames, at least 15 dm² of one-sided inner comb area per frame, and a hive thermal-dissipation parameter below 0.00600 W/(dm²·°C), measured at a 26°C imposed temperature difference.
The important point is the combination. The patent’s core is a whole-hive thermal and geometric specification—not EPS by itself.
Read the issued claim0.00600
W/(dm²·°C)
Maximum thermal-dissipation parameter in Claim 1
15 dm²
one-sided area
Minimum inner comb area per frame in Claim 1
26°C
imposed difference
Temperature difference used for the claimed measurement
Insulation is a material. Thermal performance is a system.
The issued claims describe one integrated architecture: a thermal shell, defined brood-chamber geometry, sealed component connections, and a deliberately positioned modular lower entrance.
01
Thermal shell
High-density EPS slows heat exchange through the hive envelope; specific claims also define wall thickness and heat-transfer performance.
02
Vertical brood geometry
Tall frames create substantial continuous comb area inside a compact thermal envelope with controlled internal spacing.
03
Sealed, controlled architecture
The claimed configurations close uncontrolled upper openings and position the entrance below and away from the brood frames.
Shell. Geometry. Spacing. Sealing. Entrance. One system.
Claim 1
measured whole-hive thermal performance
Claim scope is defined by the complete issued claim language. Biological outcomes require separate trial and field evidence.
Claims 2–16
The details are part of the physics
The patent is material-agnostic in places. The invention is not “a foam hive.” It is the engineered interaction of shell, cavity, comb area, spacing, sealing, and heat exchange.
Review Claims 2–16CLAIM 05
Controlled bee-space relationships
Claim ranges include approximately 28–35 mm frame center-to-center and 14–18 mm between a frame’s middle plane and the brood-box wall.
CLAIM 08–10
Large continuous comb area
Dependent claims cover approximately 15–28 dm² per frame and, in one configuration, 200–300 dm² across the vertically arranged brood chamber.
CLAIM 11–13
Engineered wall performance
Claims cover combinations including walls over 30 mm, heat-transfer coefficients below 5 W/(m²·K), and construction from wood, polyurethane, or expanded polymers.
CLAIM 14
Closed upper architecture
A claimed super and top-cover arrangement avoids holes or cavities that directly connect the internal space with the outside environment.
CLAIM 15–16
Separated lower entrance
A distinct bottom cavity and elongated horizontal entrance place incoming air below and away from the brood frames.
Why thermodynamics matters
The hive is part of the colony’s energy budget
Bees regulate brood temperature using energy from honey or supplied food. The patent’s engineering premise is straightforward: when the hive loses less heat, the colony may spend less energy replacing it.
Less energy spent on thermoregulation can leave more available for brood rearing, reserves, and flight. That is the mechanism behind the Energy Spiral™—not a guarantee that every colony will produce the same outcome.
01
Thermal shell
02
Vertical geometry
03
Controlled sealing
04
Less uncontrolled heat exchange
05
More energy potentially available
Patent figures 19–28
Explore the underlying charts
Optional deeper reading: responsive redraws of the patent’s measured comparisons, field observations, and modeled relationships.
View all ten patent charts+
Measured + field observations
Figures 19–24
Patent-reported comparisons under documented conditions—not universal outcome guarantees.
Figure 19 · Measured comparison
Transient hive thermal dissipation
Same brood area and temperature difference. Claim 1 sets a system threshold below 0.00600 W/(dm²·°C) at a 26°C imposed difference. Curves redrawn from the patent plot.
Figure 20 · Field observation
Average emerging bees across ten hives
Two groups of ten hives were managed under the same field protocol. Approximate values read from the issued plot: Primal Bee ≈76,000; Dadant ≈43,000 emerging bees.
Figure 21 · Field observation
Emerging bees by individual hive
The patent calls out two anomalies rather than excluding them: standard hive 1 collapsed; Primal Bee hive 8 swarmed. Values are approximate readings of the bars.
Figure 22 · Field observation
Bees remaining in the nest
Patent-reported counts of bees resting on combs to support nest temperature. Bars are presented in the patent’s ascending hive order; values are approximate.
Figure 23 · Modeled relationship
Brood surface versus thermal dissipation
The patent also expresses the right-hand scale as a modeled honey-equivalent monthly thermal cost. This redraw keeps the thermal-power axis to avoid implying measured honey production.
Figure 24 · Modeled relationship
Spring brood-surface trajectory
Month number versus total brood surface in the patent’s springtime comparison. Approximate plotted values; this is a modeled relationship, not a universal growth forecast.
Scenario models
Figures 25–28
Climate, frame-shape, and insulation mechanism models—not field-result claims.
Figure 25 · Modeled relationship
Climate influence on brood surface
Redrawn from the patent’s mild- and severe-climate curves. VP1 and VP2 identify two Primal Bee frame configurations. Coordinates are approximate.
Figure 26 · Modeled relationship
Comb shape across climate conditions
The chart compares standard and Primal Bee response curves across mild and severe climates. It illustrates modeled system relationships rather than guaranteed colony outcomes.
Figure 27 · Modeled relationship
Combined frame-shape and insulation scenarios
The patent overlays frame and insulation configurations. This simplified redraw preserves the scenario ordering and directional relationships; use the issued sheet for the original multi-axis plot.
Figure 28 · Modeled relationship
Climate and insulation combined
The patent’s final scenario plot compares severe-climate standard configurations with insulated Primal Bee variants. Redraw is intentionally directional because the source uses multiple axes and overlapping scales.
Source: US Patent 11,375,697 B2, sheets 10–14. The issued PDF remains authoritative for original axes, plotting, methods, and claim language.
Open original figuresThe honest boundary
A patent protects an invention. It does not guarantee an outcome.
Use the patent for
The mechanism
The issued claims establish a specific combination of measured thermal performance, comb geometry, spacing, sealing, wall construction, and entrance architecture.
Use trials and field evidence for
The outcomes
Population, brood, honey, feeding demand, pollination, survival, and parasite pressure depend on conditions and require their own evidence—not patent status alone.
The hive strengthens the colony’s starting conditions. Mites, forage, weather, genetics, queen quality, timing, and beekeeper management still matter.