Overheating

[Rory Fields]

Like lots of people, I'm on medication that makes it hard for me to regulate my body temperature- psychiatric meds. I've got a ventilated mesh suit already and a water sprayer, but last year still had a few instances of mild heat stroke and am struggling to get round all my hives without suffering the same again. I've seen these ice vests people wear but am wondering, asides from that and a neck fan ive akready got, if anyone has any hacks or supplements you can take to lower body temperature. Currently a garden parasol is about to get freighted round my home apiary but doesn't seem a practical solution in the long-term or at out apiaries. Beekeeping is feeling pure attrition in this, cheers

 

[enrico]

Don't feel you have to do them all in one day. I have Monday and Thursday hives

 

[JamezF]

I wish I could help. At least I know what I can say to people when I take off my bee suit and it looks like I've been out in a tropical rainstorm now

James

 

[blackcloud]

Ditto that.
All I could suggest is early morning/late evening sessions and put up with a bit of attitude.
Also like Enrico I split things up - brood inspections and then faffing around with honey supers

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

All I could suggest is early morning/late evening sessions

I think we all get a bit obsessed with the BBKA 'rules' of not inspecting before 1000hrs and after 1500
last year when I had the free time I was opening up hives 0800-0900 and getting all inspections well out of the way before midday then having another crack at teatime.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I think we all get a bit obsessed with the BBKA 'rules' of not inspecting before 1000hrs and after 1500
last year when I had the free time I was opening up hives 0800-0900 and getting all inspections well out of the way before midday then having another crack at teatime.

Do commercial beekeepers/beefarmers enjoy the luxury of limiting staff timing to access their hives?

 

[Martimart]

I don't know how beekeepers with loads of hives to inspect do it. I wouldn't say i'm a prolific sweater! I have 3 currently at the bottom of the garden, vest and shorts under a Oz Armour ventilated suit, and I'm wet through underneath when I've finished. Can't imagine the state of me having 10+ to do.

 

[ericbeaumont]

a garden parasol

Would a golfing or fishing umbrella be lighter? The sort that sticks in the ground.

A 2m gazebo would help and an aluminium frame is light, though bees might get up inside it and need to be emptied.

 

[Rory Fields]

I think we all get a bit obsessed with the BBKA 'rules' of not inspecting before 1000hrs and after 1500
last year when I had the free time I was opening up hives 0800-0900 and getting all inspections well out of the way before midday then having another crack at teatime.

I think it's just such a problem this year as I've got 50 + hives in my parents field and 20 or so at two different out apiaries near OSR, in full sun, and both of the out apiaries had all had several hives swarmed by the time I got to them. It's just been pure attrition for the past few weeks as I stupidly agreed to be the swarm collector for the local area since other beekeepers seem happy to only pick up the prime swarms hanging from low branches and even though they're definitely not my bees, I feel responsible and guilty when the public have small swarms or are scared of them. It's absolutely NOT worthwhile, have had one decent line out of tens and tens of swarms - the others are more disease risk and faff than they're worth and end up combined in an isolation apiary. It's keeping up with kit too that's got me up at 5am and out at swarms til midnight sometimes. Likely isn't a solution, I was just naively hoping!

 

[Rory Fields]

Would a golfing or fishing umbrella be lighter? The sort that sticks in the ground.

A 2m gazebo would help and an aluminium frame is light, though bees might get up inside it and need to be emptied.

The field I keep most of my hives in is on a pretty severe slope so though I've thought of a parasol with base, not sure it'd stay upright. Once I've planted it in the ground it's barely high enough for a 5ft person to move about under, might have to buy something lighter and bigger?

 

[drex]

After the hot summer of 2 years ago, I got myself a ventilated suit from Old Castle. I strip off to underpants and am comfortable for a few hours in sunshine. I do have short breaks in the shade to re- hydrate ( very important) and wear a sweat band round my head

 

[Skinfaxi]

You can use gum boots and fill them with water. Fresh cool tap water. Used to do it when working in glasshouses. Also start early.
Goodday

Like lots of people, I'm on medication that makes it hard for me to regulate my body temperature- psychiatric meds. I've got a ventilated mesh suit already and a water sprayer, but last year still had a few instances of mild heat stroke and am struggling to get round all my hives without suffering the same again. I've seen these ice vests people wear but am wondering, asides from that and a neck fan ive akready got, if anyone has any hacks or supplements you can take to lower body temperature. Currently a garden parasol is about to get freighted round my home apiary but doesn't seem a practical solution in the long-term or at out apiaries. Beekeeping is feeling pure attrition in this, cheers

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You can use gum boots and fill them with water. Fresh cool tap water. Used to do it when working in glasshouses.

reminds me of when I was in sea school doing my advanced firefighting practicals, working in live fires, the sweat quickly ran into and filled our boots, then I was tasked with searching the deck level above the seat of the fire - the plates were so hot the sweat in my boots reached near boiling point and I scalded both feet!!

 

[madasafish]

As a very OAP keep stopping to cool down in the shade and DRINK. I run inspections over two days for hives and another day for mini nucs.

 

[Skinfaxi]

reminds me of when I was in sea school doing my advanced firefighting practicals, working in live fires, the sweat quickly ran into and filled our boots, then I was tasked with searching the deck level above the seat of the fire - the plates were so hot the sweat in my boots reached near boiling point and I scalded both feet!!

Yes i did stcw95 safety at sea.the fire fire fighting classes i really enjoyed.
We also put breathing tanks on and they filled a few containers completly with foam and had to manuvour through it all. Respect to real fire fighters, they are tough.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

i did stcw95 safety at sea.the fire fire fighting classes i really enjoyed

the old drowning and burning course, we used to have to do one every three years (although just once in a lifetime is all that is required) the advanced one was something else though we were told afterwards by the water fairies training us that we were working in temperatures up to ten degrees C higher than they were allowed to in their home service (Northumberland)

 

[Hairy]

Cotton sucks the heat out of you, particularly when wet.
I believe this is maybe one reason why many bikers wear denim waistcoats over their leathers in the USA at least, water barrels outside bars to dunk the vest in before riding into the heat?
Anyhow, wet cotton clothes, redampened if necessary? Miss out the leathers part probably though

 

[SWEET]

Like lots of people, I'm on medication that makes it hard for me to regulate my body temperature- psychiatric meds. I've got a ventilated mesh suit already and a water sprayer, but last year still had a few instances of mild heat stroke and am struggling to get round all my hives without suffering the same again. I've seen these ice vests people wear but am wondering, asides from that and a neck fan ive akready got, if anyone has any hacks or supplements you can take to lower body temperature. Currently a garden parasol is about to get freighted round my home apiary but doesn't seem a practical solution in the long-term or at out apiaries. Beekeeping is feeling pure attrition in this, cheers

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08ZJ5JZMB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Portable Neck Fan​

Very good and used by me over the warmer days moving brood size supers and units, works a treat.

 

[gregior]

A simple trick i use is to freeze a bottle of water the night before a day in the apiary, the next day you have ice cold water all day.

 

[plain_hunt]

I think we all get a bit obsessed with the BBKA 'rules' of not inspecting before 1000hrs and after 1500
last year when I had the free time I was opening up hives 0800-0900 and getting all inspections well out of the way before midday then having another crack at teatime.

I’ve never heard of this “rule”. And have quite often waited until 6ish when my apiary gets some shade, it’s much cooler then.