diagnose with temperature?

[tlynn]

Is it possible to use temperature to determine hive health in winter?  Like last week a hive was averaging 93F every night and this week it's averaging 90F so I can extrapolate there could be a problem (or else the weather was colder??).

[Jessaboo]

I can't answer your question but I am wondering how you are getting a temp read? Oven thermometer? :-\

[tlynn]

No, sorry...poor wording.  I was just giving a hypothetical example.  I have a darkroom thermometer which is 10 or 12 inches long and goes up to 105F.  I was thinking I could put it through the top board into the middle of the hive and still see the numbers outside.  Just an idea.  I guess it may sound a bit whacky :-D

[JP]

Is it possible to use temperature to determine hive health in winter?  Like last week a hive was averaging 93F every night and this week it's averaging 90F so I can extrapolate there could be a problem (or else the weather was colder??).

more likely colder weather.


...JP

[Robo]

Outside temperature will cause the biggest fluctuations in your measurements, as well as the location of the cluster (assuming the bees are clustering).

Here is some data I took last year comparing a polystyrene hive to a wood all-medium hive.  You can see how the temps swing with outside temp.

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,13576.msg96912.html#msg96912

[tlynn]

Thanks, Robo.  Interesting graph.  Now I am really confused.  I thought they need to maintrain temps in the 90s to keep the brood from dying.