Ventilation question

Matt J · June 07, 2016, 04:52:18 PM

It's heating up here in Central Alabama. How do y'all keep your bees from overheating? Seems like I may need to provide more ventilation on one of my hives. Right now, all I am doing is screened bottom boards.

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little john · June 08, 2016, 03:26:11 AM

Open Mesh Floors are a very good idea. If it gets REALLY hot, then you could create or increase openings near the top of the hive to maximise air throughput. Shade, especially around midday is useful - a temporary awning, shade from a tree - that kind of thing.

If you have telescopic roofs, then inserting some insulation between the roof and inner cover would certainly help to prevent heat from the sun from being conducted into the hive body.

And of course, painting beehives with white or aluminium paint is good practice.
Excess heat is not something that troubles us over here very often. If only ...

LJ

BeeMaster2 · June 08, 2016, 06:42:30 AM

What LJ said especially using insulation in the cover. If you add a top entrance they will bee able to handle the heat as long as they have a source of water within a 100 yards or so.
Jim

Matt J · June 08, 2016, 08:39:40 AM

Have either of y'all ever had a bunch of bees attach to the underside of the SBB? That's what I've got going on right now. I looked, and my queen is inside the hive. My guess is they smell the pheremones and are trying to get in that way? I don't really want to mess with it if I don't have to.

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GSF · June 08, 2016, 08:47:35 AM

Some folks say they're confused when you see that, others say they've found an easier way to pass nectar to the house bees.

little john · June 08, 2016, 08:51:12 AM

Yes - it happens - especially when introducing a new colony to a hive, until they've learned where the entrance is. My cure for this was to make some 3-sided ekes, with the 4th side being detachable. The 3-sided eke is then placed over a solid bottom board with the open side in the opposite direction to the hive entrance. The hive, with it's OMF (SBB) is then placed on top.

When introducing a new colony, the 4th side is then held in place for 24hrs or so to stop what you describe happening, then removed. It's only put back in place, a) when dosing with OAV, or b) if there's a very bad storm with high winds during winter - otherwise it's left open to provide ventilation.

LJ

Matt J · June 08, 2016, 09:00:00 AM

Quote from: little john on June 08, 2016, 08:51:12 AM
Yes - it happens - especially when introducing a new colony to a hive, until they've learned where the entrance is. My cure for this was to make some 3-sided ekes, with the 4th side being detachable. The 3-sided eke is then placed over a solid bottom board with the open side in the opposite direction to the hive entrance. The hive, with it's OMF (SBB) is then placed on top.

When introducing a new colony, the 4th side is then held in place for 24hrs or so to stop what you describe happening, then removed. It's only put back in place, a) when dosing with OAV, or b) if there's a very bad storm with high winds during winter - otherwise it's left open to provide ventilation.

LJ

All good info. They thing that makes it even more weird for me is they were installed April 16th, and, to my knowledge, they haven't done this until now. It's getting close to time to add a 3rd box. There's 6.5 frames drawn out and being used and a lot of bees. Maybe adding a 3rd box will help.

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Nugget Shooter · June 08, 2016, 11:34:49 AM

If concerned about venting with a reduced entrance try this "screen door" regular metal window screen cut to length desired and 1.5 inches wide, fold in half lengthwise and then open to a V to hold it in entrance. Works great to allow air movement and still keep entrance reduced. Gets hot here in the big AZ

KeyLargoBees · June 09, 2016, 08:48:54 AM

I keep some 1/8 inch hardware cloth scraps and bend and flex them into the entrance as ventilated reducers.....works well

Colobee · June 09, 2016, 12:10:10 PM

We rarely see that heat that others do, but there are occasionally a few 100* days in July & August. I've usually responded by doing what I call the "Super-slide". Slide any honey super back ~3/4". This will create a 3/8" gap across the front once the frame rest is cleared. Be sure not to move it much further & create a "robber gap" underneath in the back.

If you are concerned about rain or robbing, the gap can be closed down by sticking an entrance reducer to the newly exposed propolis. It should sit nicely on the ledge created by the shift. A lone frame nail can also secure it until the bees have it glued into place - usually within a day. This upper entrance will often eliminate a thick full "heat" beard in under an hour (here).

Nugget Shooter · June 09, 2016, 09:39:41 PM

I have always wondered what insects and other critters "feel" when we get out June to Sept temps well over 100 F daily. I mean humans feel it and whine accordingly right? What about bees, simply that the environment to function is falling apart or is heat actually an issue?

Yep new feller pondering, but curious. Comfort is not a bee "feeling" right and here cooling is a daily job for the bees, easier or harder? I would think keeping a brood at 94 cooling from 115 in dry air would be less work than keeping a brood warm in cold temps?

I read allot here and elsewhere and seems the Southwestern folks do not worry over our desert environment as much as elsewhere for instance the humid South. Just curious because our 3 hives seem not to really notice the heat and no bearding as others see. Lots of water readily available....

Where am I going? Just interested in the comments to follow from other parts of the world. Learning....

PhilK · June 09, 2016, 09:54:24 PM

Throughout our summers we routinely have temperatures between 30 and 40 C, with very high humidity. I just figure the bees will deal with it, and have given them nothing special. I gave them top covers that had ventilation and they propolised them closed even in summer, so I don't think they needed my help in keeping the hive cool.

Matt J · June 09, 2016, 11:23:48 PM

Quote from: Nugget Shooter on June 09, 2016, 09:39:41 PM
I have always wondered what insects and other critters "feel" when we get out June to Sept temps well over 100 F daily. I mean humans feel it and whine accordingly right? What about bees, simply that the environment to function is falling apart or is heat actually an issue?

Yep new feller pondering, but curious. Comfort is not a bee "feeling" right and here cooling is a daily job for the bees, easier or harder? I would think keeping a brood at 94 cooling from 115 in dry air would be less work than keeping a brood warm in cold temps?

I read allot here and elsewhere and seems the Southwestern folks do not worry over our desert environment as much as elsewhere for instance the humid South. Just curious because our 3 hives seem not to really notice the heat and no bearding as others see. Lots of water readily available....

Where am I going? Just interested in the comments to follow from other parts of the world. Learning....

I would think it makes sense for bees not to beard as much in the desert. Not having to deal with the humidity like we have in the Southeast, should mean one less thing they have to worry about. Seems like it would be less work for them to remove moisture from nectar to convert it to honey. I am as new as they come in the beekeeping world, so I'm just speculating. If you don't see bearding in the desert, Maybe the bearding has more to do with humidity inside the hive than heat? Im sure someone with more experience know LW the answer to that question.

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PhilK · June 10, 2016, 01:21:06 AM

Dry heat (like in a desert) makes it very easy to keep cool because evaporation can be used to cool the hive (and the body for us humans). Humidity plus heat is a lot harder to keep cool so humid bees are more likely to beard.

Think about a high humidity environment - you sweat and sweat but can't get cool, whereas when it's dry your sweat evaporate and cools you. Same for the hive.

Joe D · June 10, 2016, 01:26:17 AM

I don't have a lot of colonies, but mine are under a roof, some have a concrete slab under the hive, they have SBB's, an inter cover with a couple of inch gap on each side of the outer edge, and a water container within a couple of feet of the entrance. They will still beard pretty good in the summer. Another local beek has made some short boxes to put above the inter cover with about 2inch holes drilled with screen over the holes to get more air flow.

Good luck to you and your bees Matt,

Joe D