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Jim Sarina

A Visit to the JWM Leafcutter Facility in Idaho - The Harvesting Process

On the first day of our visit to the JWM Leafcutters facility in Nampa, Idaho we analyzed our habitat, harvested our habitat and sampled the contents of our habitat.


On the second day we observed the day-to-day operation of harvesting the tapered tunnel habitats, thousands of them, during the harvesting season. The key to the process is the "Nuclear Scientist Machine". The NSM punches out the tapered tunnels in the foam habitat, front to back, to protect the females located in the 'back' of the tunnel. The tapering aids this process by being slightly wider at the rear of the tunnel. In addition the foam habitats are "rolled" in a press machine to loosen the contents before they are loaded into the NSM.



As the cocoons and other material in the habitat are punched out they fall to a collecting guide leading to the "JWM Leaf Cutter Bee Cocoon Conditioner". The auger uses rotation and air flow to separate the cocoons from the waste material. The clean cocoons are deposited in an approximate 2 by 2 by 2 foot cardboard box.


Features

  • Cell Breaker

  • Tumbler / cleaner

  • Elevates finished product

  • No need for conveyor

  • Tumbler rotor can be turned off independently

  • Suction fan for debris/dust removal and discharge

  • Low maintenance

  • Will keep up with the fastest punching machines

  • Can be used to condition leafcutter bees as a stand alone operation or directly from a punching machine

  • Cell breaking action produces mostly single cells while remaining gentle and safe on the bees

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