From: "P.H. Rankin Hansen" <ping@piteraq.dk>
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2001 19:42:35 +0100
To: BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: Artificially heated wintered hive

Heated hives. Now there is an interesting subject. I have heard many
arguments against it, few pro. My own thoughts are this:

According to the hive and the honeybee, the ideal temperature (as far as I
recall) for wintering bees is about 4 degrees Celsius. Well, technically it
should be a simple exercise to put a temperature sensor in a hive and start
heating the hive if the temperature drops too low. Doing it this way, means
not only a reduction in the used energy, but also prevents our heating the
hive too much, thus provoking breeding activity too early.

Is heating advisable ? That depends on how you look at it. If you think
short-term it is. You get a higher survival rate in cold winters and, if
you pour on more heat in spring, the bees will start breeding earlier,
which can be an advantage in some areas. On the other hand, and this is
worth some thought, the bees unable to cope with low temperatures have
until now been eliminated by natural selection. If we start heating the
hives, this selection no longer takes place and our bees may loose the
ability to winter in cold climates. This will become important the day the
power fails - and, sooner or later, it will.

BTW, solar cells are not adequate for heating hives in winter, unless you
use large (expensive) panels. Not enough light and the panels will quickly
be covered with snow.

Ping.

best regards / venlig hilsen

P.H. Rankin Hansen
Mølletoften 45, Gaarslev
DK-7080 Børkop
Danmark