Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: softgroups on June 18, 2009, 01:05:12 PM

Title: Bee Freeze
Post by: softgroups on June 18, 2009, 01:05:12 PM
Is it true that if you freeze a bee, she will get back to life if you her to sun light?!
Title: Re: Bee Freeze
Post by: riverrat on June 18, 2009, 01:09:20 PM
I believe that to be an urban legend ;)
Title: Re: Bee Freeze
Post by: Scadsobees on June 18, 2009, 01:27:19 PM
Sortof.

If you are walking near a hive on a sunny winter day that has warmed a little (in the mid to upper 30's deg F), you will see numerous bees in the snow.  They rest there, but the snow sucks the heat out, and they go comatose.

They "die" and appear really dead.  But if it is still within a few hours of them falling to the snow and "dying", you can pick them up, warm them in your hands,  and they come back to life.

They aren't really dead, but they do go rather dormant.  It doesn't work though if you wait more than a few hours.  Then they really are dead.

So you probably could "kill" a bee by putting it in a freezer for a while, bring her out when she appears dead, and the heat of the sun would reinvigourate her.  But if you forget her in the freezer, no amount of heat will bring her back.

Rick
Title: Re: Bee Freeze
Post by: NasalSponge on June 18, 2009, 02:06:36 PM
One fall day my kids brought a bunch of "dead" drones into the house and put them by the wood burner....next thing ya know they where flying everywhere.
Title: Re: Bee Freeze
Post by: luvin honey on June 18, 2009, 02:28:52 PM
Sounds a bit like hypothermia :)
Title: Re: Bee Freeze
Post by: sc-bee on June 18, 2009, 04:09:40 PM
Just "don't eat the yellow snow" :-D!
Title: Re: Bee Freeze
Post by: G3farms on June 18, 2009, 04:13:10 PM
Quote from: sc-bee on June 18, 2009, 04:09:40 PM
Just "don't eat the yellow snow" :-D!

You mean thats not honey in the snow????? :?

G3
Title: Re: Bee Freeze
Post by: mgmoore7 on June 18, 2009, 04:29:28 PM
A few nights ago, I put some bees in the fridge to get them to settle down a bit so I can more easily pick them up for some apitherapy.  I left them in too long.  Only a few appears to be alive.  I used those bees and put the rest outside still in the container.  By morning all were gone. 

Take it for what it is worth or try it for yourself.
Title: Re: Bee Freeze
Post by: sc-bee on June 19, 2009, 08:54:19 AM
Chill is one thing Freeze is another :evil:
Title: Re: Bee Freeze
Post by: Scadsobees on June 19, 2009, 10:46:20 AM
Quote from: G3farms on June 18, 2009, 04:13:10 PM

You mean thats not honey in the snow????? :?

G3

Ever smell that "honey"?? :-X
Title: Re: Bee Freeze
Post by: Eshu on June 19, 2009, 05:23:17 PM
Cold bees will go into torpor and can be revived from it.  But I think a hard freeze will kill them.

You can put cockroaches in the freezer for several hours then revive them.  They are tough.
Title: Re: Bee Freeze
Post by: G3farms on June 19, 2009, 07:00:29 PM
Quote from: Scadsobees on June 19, 2009, 10:46:20 AM
Quote from: G3farms on June 18, 2009, 04:13:10 PM

You mean thats not honey in the snow????? :?

G3

Ever smell that "honey"?? :-X

Never did smell it but it sure did taste funny :-P

G3
Title: Re: Bee Freeze
Post by: doak on June 19, 2009, 07:39:44 PM
Great day, what talk. :roll: :shock: :'( :'( :'( :) ;)doak
Title: Re: Bee Freeze
Post by: G3farms on June 19, 2009, 07:55:34 PM
Yeah I'm just glad I didn't step in it :-D

G3
Title: Re: Bee Freeze
Post by: Michael Bush on June 19, 2009, 10:04:53 PM
If their body temp gets down around 33 you can warm them up and "bring them back to life" but if you actually freeze them solid they die.