Flying in the rain?

eleanor20 said:

Looked in entrance of one of my hives the other day during a heavy rain shower, there were hundreds of bees all lined up ready for take-off as soon as they could. I've never seen bees so still!

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If you believe that...

I had a balance hive this year in autumn rape field. 13 hectares bloomes 5 weeks.
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On first week 15.5 forward it was nice and temp were over 20 C. They got 10 kg more weight.

Next week was sunny and to temps 15 C but under 18C. They got 2 kg in a week.

On third week temps rised to 23C. Hive hot 5 kg a day.

All together weight rises 30 kg in 5 weeks. Then hive lost 4 kg its weight and swarm hung in nearest pine. But when I opened the hive, half of the rise was pollen stores.

After these years I learned that it must be over 18C days temp and not much wind. Then bees get full loads.

I looked when bees arrived to hive in temp 15C. Traffic was good but they arrived with empty stomack. Dandelion was better to forage because it is near ground.

The muscle temp of hive in foraging is 39C. I was astonishdn that wind can freeze their ability to forage.

If you read Australian reports "bees on canola", they report the same.



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I have seen how bees forage in the rain and in low temps in the morning. When I have cut the bee and tated the nectar, it is mere drinking water to larva food making.

I collected a swarm last wednesday, it was from a feral colony in a chimney and has been flying strong in all the variations of weather we have had since then

Shabro said:

I collected a swarm last wednesday, it was from a feral colony in a chimney and has been flying strong in all the variations of weather we have had since then

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Splended. Other hives are starving and others forage in the rain.

If you are going to be a good beekepr, you must be honest at least to yourself.

A psychiatrist told in the TV: "Folks in Lapland are a little bit strange in their stories. They like to tell that they got last week 2 metre long pike. But let it be. No need to go to measure it. "


http://images.search.conduit.com/Im...true&PageSource=Results&SSPV=&start=35&pos=18

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Finman said:

I have nursed more bee races than you will ever see in your life.

No bees forage in rain. They bring water and you get nothing.

But I cannot win debate with 3-hive owner. Öhöm

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yes i know - 50 yrs experience .

So you're saying all bee races have same characteristics ???

i never said they did - but what are they doing when they fly out in rain then because even with 50 days experience I have seen them flying out in rain?

that's Ok I only have 2

So I guess it was water we saw bees sucking up from the downward pointing borage flowers. What they gathered certainly looked like water at least the 1st few jars I bottled did. It eventually coloured up a bit though.

I understand H Balsam protects the nectaries in a similar way unlike osr where a shower dilutes the nectar spoiling the job, possibly for that day.

Finman said:

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I have seen how bees forage in the rain and in low temps in the morning. When I have cut the bee and tated the nectar, it is mere drinking water to larva food making.

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one swallow does not make a summer

jackbee said:

one swallow does not make a summer

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One swallow? It depends is it flying to north or to south.


Yes, but one two hive owner makes a summer.


By the way. How many kilos you get that "rain honey" per hive?
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the bees mustve created their own holodeck and we are all characters on it then or maybe I had one too many sherberts!

knotty said:

Especially if I'm in the way and unprotected, had to duck a few times from incoming. Might need some higher screening as it's only just above head height.

Does anyone use fine builders type netting as screening? Cheap and less likely to blow over. Any recommendations?

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We use wind brake netting. Works well slows wind bees fly over.

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I have read that UK has much condensation problems.
So first, breed a bee stock which do not carry rainwater in all the time.

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We use wind brake netting. Works well slows wind bees fly over.

Are these nets waterproof?

Or has this post flown over a fence or two?

Finman said:

Yes, but one two hive owner makes a summer..

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Not this year it doesn't

Finman said:

By the way. How many kilos you get that "rain honey" per hive?
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I usually reduce it down to a thick consistency on top of the stove 6 hrs gas mark 2 simmer

Finman said:

One swallow? It depends is it flying to north or to south.

Yes, but one two hive owner makes a summer.

By the way. How many kilos you get that "rain honey" per hive?
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Sigh...so the bumble bees which forage on our banks of comfrey and borage so busily from 5am to 10pm in all weathers including quite heavy constant rain are only sucking up water? Why would they do that when they can get it within a few inches/centimetres of the hive I wonder? Why should the honey bee be different (they fly in drizzle and light rain and feed on both these for starters).

Quite a few forage plants have protected nectaries so the nectar is not diluted by rain. Others produce at lowish temperatures and don't need sunshine for an acceptable flow. Some produce constantly all day, others have a pattern with the day, weather, age of flower etc.

knotty said:

Flying in the rain?

All my hives seem to be very busy and flying in the rain / drizzle. They all seem to be coming and going from the same direction so I guess there's a flow on (brambles out in force).

Are my "local bees" just tough or desperate?!

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Ours, which are sort of 'local bees' were flying on Saturday, in torrential rain, leaving the hives as fast a bullets, determinedly going in the same direction.

I have no idea what they were doing, or where they were going, but if they'd wanted to collect water there would have been no need to make the effort to fly so far and so fast - they tend to use our garden pond, there was plenty of water landing on the hives and the ground is waterlogged so there's plenty of surface water.

BeeJoyful said:

Ours, which are sort of 'local bees' were flying on Saturday, in torrential rain, leaving the hives as fast a bullets, determinedly going in the same direction.

I have no idea what they were doing, or where they were going, but if they'd wanted to collect water there would have been no need to make the effort to fly so far and so fast - they tend to use our garden pond, there was plenty of water landing on the hives and the ground is waterlogged so there's plenty of surface water.

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I observed mine doing it this morning, 2 hives sat side by side, a continuous stream of bees hurtling out and coming back, and theres a dirty old pond not 20ft away in the opposite direction.

Shabro said:

I observed mine doing it this morning, 2 hives sat side by side, a continuous stream of bees hurtling out and coming back, and theres a dirty old pond not 20ft away in the opposite direction.

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I have that rain foraging too

I was out today and bees were flying purposefully all in one direction, then the sky turned grey and as the rain drops started to fall the outward flights mostly stopped but the incoming really increased in speed, as they were all elbowing past each other to get back in ... It was just like someone had called last orders at the bar!

knotty said:

They all seem to be coming and going from the same direction so I guess there's a flow on (brambles out in force).

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Sorry Knotty, my radar picked up on that one. Could be robbers. Check it out!

Ours are going out in the sunshine and coming back in the heavy intermittent showers, poor things obviously did not check the weather reports.