Anyone bringing shade to their bees for the forecast heat wave?

[Clivewoodford]

I have some nucs made from black phenolic ply in full sun I thought they may overheat so I put ice lolly sticks under 1 end of their roofs to give a little ventilation, checked back in the evening and they had all filled the gap with propolis. They know what they want.

 

[Pembroke]

There was a TV programme on a few years ago where the temps in the hive was monitored and it was a constant 31deg centigrade so the bees are going to be quite happy with the current temps and look on the bright side, the less honey the bees use to keep their home warm the more there is to harvest.

 

[blackcloud]

Heatwave??

" I made gravy under shellfire"

 

[Erichalfbee]

There was a TV programme on a few years ago where the temps in the hive was monitored and it was a constant 31deg centigrade so the bees are going to be quite happy with the current temps and look on the bright side, the less honey the bees use to keep their home warm the more there is to harvest.

You have to factor in radiant heat though. How warm is the outside of a wooden brood box?

 

[Ian123]

thought they may overheat so I put ice lolly sticks under 1 end of their roofs to give a little ventilation, checked back in the evening and they had all filled the gap

Clearly the wrong bloody flavour!

 

[aj180949]

I advise from experience, I have lost the best hive a few years ago during a heat wave. I live in Melbourne, ambient temp. was 48 degC or higher.

There are two risks during a heat wave:

1. Hot ambient air. You can do nothing about it but do not let the hot air into the hive - DO NOT ventilate it. Make sure the bees have plenty of water available. They will use it for cooling.

2. What killed my hive - radiated heat from the sun blasting on the hive walls and roof. I had the roof well insulated but not the walls and the sun did shine on them. Remedy - provide shade from the south and west, from noon onward. Morning sun is not that damaging as mornings are usually cooler.

Apology if someone wrote all this already, I did not have time to go through all messages.

 

[Moobee]

I keep 75mm kingspan under the roof of my WBC beehives all year round, so think that & the hive type will help. Thinking of widening entrances to increase airflow too. I have heard that drones start to die above 40C. It is 2 days only, then back to 'normal' temperatures. Bit concerned as I'm taking my General Husbandry assessment for 3 hours on Tuesday, so think I'll be stuffing ice packs down my bee suit! I won't be wearing wellies

Good luck, you'll smash it

 

[lindsay s]

It’s forecast to reach a SCORCHING 18c here for the next 2 days and we might even get a little sunshine A few days of summer at last and I hope my bees can cope

 

[Moobee]

My home apiary has shade netting across the front (south facing) to make them fly up so I doubled the amount just to help as they are in direct sun from mid morning onwards.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

most of my apiaries are in full sun all day with very little shade, I'll be doing the same as I do every time it gets a bit hot.

Nothing​

same here

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I must say that we (including an SBI) had a little bit of a chuckle over this hand wringing at the showground yesterday.
The only steps I've heard taken is SBI's had to abandon a live EFB inspection due to the combs, when removed from the hives, starting to slump.
So the only thing beekeepers need to do, is stop fiddling with the hives.

 

[SWEET]

Long line of apideas in the sun, bees doing just fine.

 

[Ian123]

Long line of apideas in the sun, bees doing just fine.

Whilst not 1 to bother doing anything for the main hives I’d keep an eye on those! Or at least add a cover to the box.

 

[SWEET]

Whilst not 1 to bother doing anything for the main hives I’d keep an eye on those! Or at least add a cover to the box.

All good : )

 

[Erichalfbee]

Potting shed bees
Well today has been 49 in the sunshine ....
Now at 8.30 there are a few out on the front and a deal of fanning but they seem ok

 

[ics19]

There was a TV programme on a few years ago where the temps in the hive was monitored and it was a constant 31deg centigrade

Possibly more like 35C The Sheffield Beekeepers temperatures are often quoted as a reference:
https://sheffieldbeekeepers.org.uk/important-temperatures-beekeeping/
We've got a temperature probe in one hive and an external one in the same area - the figures today (well yesterday now!) show the bees weren't too bothered by the apocalypse going on outside. The graph below shows the brood box temperature (yellow line) and the outside temperature (in blue) over the last 24 hrs. This was a cedar national with a couple of supers on, OMF, stock tin roof (and probably propolis filled vents). I checked the outside wall wood temperatures by IR gun and it was 60+ in the morning, but had fallen to below 50C after lunch, possibly due to the sun moving around. The increasingly crisp desert wasteland that we once called a lawn had a surface temperature of 64C

 

[JamezF]

Photo 16 (or fifth from the bottom, if you prefer...)

In pictures: Hot weather sweeps across UK

James

 

[Beesnaturally]

Potting shed bees
Well today has been 49 in the sunshine ....
Now at 8.30 there are a few out on the front and a deal of fanning but they seem ok

Ambient air temperature in the UK hasn't exceeded the mid 30s. You must have your thermometer measuring something else...

The concern is entirely about direct sunlight on hive walls, and what that does to the inside. (think hand on a black car roof etc) I had a lot of slump damage in a couple of hives a year or two ago. To my mind the solution lies in better hives (thicker, proper wood - some of mine are ply), and shading - either initial positioning or reactive. But I'm considering putting a couple of 2p coins under the coverboards, and/or increasing entrances. Slump starts to occurs at what, 40 deg? The ambient air isn't going to get that hot. I'd be interested to hear more about arguments against that strategy.

TBH I'm more worred at the moment about the thought of thirsty bees collecting pesticide spray. Hopefully it tastes bad enough to dissuade them.

 

[Beesnaturally]

Photo 16 (or fifth from the bottom, if you prefer...)

In pictures: Hot weather sweeps across UK

James

Now that's faffing to my mind... Has anyone else (beside me that is) actually been silly enough to try sustained box lifting in the midday sun?

 

[Amari]

Ambient air temperature in the UK hasn't exceeded the mid 30s. You must have your thermometer measuring something else...

But I'm considering putting a couple of 2p coins under the coverboards, and/or increasing entrances.

Whatever you do don't use matchsticks. It would invite sarcasm and ridicule from the Forum and maybe risk being banned for evermore.....