Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Jingles on April 16, 2008, 03:02:19 PM

Title: Inspect on a windy day?
Post by: Jingles on April 16, 2008, 03:02:19 PM
Good Afternoon!!

It is warm and WINDY here today (and yesterday). Tomorrow is supposed to rain, so I'd like to kinda check and see if I have queens in my hives by looking for brood, but it is SO darned windy! Should I just be patient and wait or is it okay to inspect on a windy day? Do bees forage much on such windy days?

Thanks for your help!!


Love, Marla
Title: Re: Inspect on a windy day?
Post by: Kathyp on April 16, 2008, 03:10:27 PM
i almost always have some wind where my hives are.  if it's warm, and the bees are flying, i'll do a quick check if i really need to.  wait until it's warm.  see if the bees are out.  if they are, it's probably ok to check.  if you can wait for a calmer day, you'll be able to do a better check.  a few days won't make a difference except in ordering a new queen if you find you need one.
Title: Re: Inspect on a windy day?
Post by: Michael Bush on April 16, 2008, 09:34:43 PM
>Do bees forage much on such windy days?

If it's windy enough, they won't go out at all.  Mine will go out when it's pretty windy, though.  But they are small cell bees and seem to manage to fly in 25 mph winds to gather water and forage.  Higher than that, and I don't see them go farther than just out the door and back.  But when I had large cell bees they pretty much stayed inside when it was that windy.