View Full Version : hot weather question
medic229
07-27-2009, 11:18 PM
Its 90's degrees this week. Is it ok to leave the top lid off 24 hrs a day and just go with the inner lid so they dont cook in there? There is no chance of rain.
Dana
I hear ya! I'm just south of you and it was 91.4 deg. in North Seattle this afternoon!
I don't run inner/telescoping covers, but more ventilation is good, especially with this unseasonable heat (our average right now is suspose to be something like 78 deg.). I would set your telescoping cover so the edge is flush with the edge of the inner cover and slide both covers back so there is something like 3/4 inch gap running full length across the top.
I've got three hives at my place (though I just purchased enough hardware for 14 more hives for only $200 - woohoo!). All of my hives have SBB and upper entrances. The most populous hive has at least 1,000 bees on the front this afternoon. Maybe 2K. Last night there were at least 500 bees on the porch all night long. That hive has a super (3rd deep) that's 50% or so full of honey and I'm considering putting on another super just to give them more space to spread out and maybe increase the stack effect and wind driven ventilation. As the winds at my place are out of the south, I oriented my upper entrances northward so as to help with both of these natural ventilation processes.
~Reid
NorthWest_bee_guy
07-28-2009, 01:37 AM
don't put on the next super till the first one is 80% full, and good of you to use a sbb and top entrances:thumbsup:
also it was 98 were I was today
EastSideBuzz
07-28-2009, 02:24 AM
Mine are quite hot also. They keep attacking when we use the hose to water the plants. I have put in a water source so we will see if they go for that now. The bearding is almost taking up the whole outside of the hive.
I hear 3 more days of this and the next two are going to cook even more. Tomorrow supposed to be Tue 94, Wed 99, Thur 95, Fri 88.
I think I will crack the tops of the hive for the next couple days.
Ardilla
07-28-2009, 08:04 AM
I think propping the telescoping covers with a stick would be better. Espescially if the sun is beating down on them.
Hambone
07-28-2009, 09:35 AM
Either crack the lid with a stick like stated, or scoot the top super back a bit. About an 1/2”-3/4”.
dragonfly
07-28-2009, 11:50 AM
My bees must be hot house flowers, because during the 105 deg weather a couple of weeks ago, they weren't bearding.:eek: I guess it's a "hot hive" in more ways than one.;)
Presonally, I wouldn't take the outer cover off and leave the inner cover exposed because if you have any "critters" that try to mess with your hives, they can get into the hive easier. Like mentioned, I would prop the front with some type of spacer so that the top can still be somewhat secure.
[QUOTE=NorthWest_bee_guy;448913]don't put on the next super till the first one is 80% full/QUOTE]
Well, that deep super was 50% full on Friday, but this morning all the ramaining frames were nearly full and capped excluding #1 and #10 with were 80% full of honey! So, I put another super on. What is even more impressive is that this hive is from a package that I installed on foundationless frames this spring (excluding the super).
~Reid
EastSideBuzz
07-28-2009, 09:26 PM
I think my bee's are trying to hide the hive from the heat. It is in the high 90's here today.
http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss1/EastSideBuzz/Hive2-1.jpg
http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss1/EastSideBuzz/BeeHives-8263.jpg
http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss1/EastSideBuzz/BeeHives-8259.jpg
BeeOld
07-28-2009, 10:33 PM
I would think the dark paint would absorb more heat.:lookout:
EastSideBuzz
07-28-2009, 10:54 PM
I would think the dark paint would absorb more heat.
In Western Washington we have the opposite sun light issues as most. The sun is not out very much. This current weather is breaking all records. I guess I could paint them white for the summers since global warming is hitting us so hard this week. :eek:
NorthWest_bee_guy
07-29-2009, 01:20 AM
[QUOTE=NorthWest_bee_guy;448913]don't put on the next super till the first one is 80% full/QUOTE]
Well, that deep super was 50% full on Friday, but this morning all the ramaining frames were nearly full and capped excluding #1 and #10 with were 80% full of honey! So, I put another super on. What is even more impressive is that this hive is from a package that I installed on foundationless frames this spring (excluding the super).
~Reid
Awsome that is way cool!:applause:
wcubed
07-29-2009, 02:35 AM
Don't think I would advertize my callousness to colony needs by showing pics of unvented hives and the results.
An article on ventilation can be found in Point of View, this site.
Walt
EastSideBuzz
07-29-2009, 02:52 AM
They are vented with a top entrance opening already on my migratory covers. I was just looking for advice on weather I need to prop up more? So I popped them earlier with a chop sticks witch gives a vent along the side. I worry about having them defend a large opening. Advice is what I need I have not had them beard so much before. I also thought some bearding was normal. This heat is defiantly not normal for us in the NW.
BEES4U
07-29-2009, 09:06 AM
Espescially if the sun is beating down on them.
Shade boards.
Or,
For a few $ you could put som insulation foam over the dark paint.
Regards,
Ernie
ScadsOBees
07-29-2009, 09:25 AM
Hot weather? What is that?? :waiting:
Hormel
07-29-2009, 10:20 AM
EastSideBuzz,
It is going to be even hotter today in the NW. Out in West Seattle mine have not been bearding nearly as much as yours, even in full sun. I would suggest increasing the size of your chopsticks. I have mine open with a 2 x 4 under the outer cover as well as a shim under the inner cover, and a screened bottom board.
But with the nice weather it is nice to see the bees out working at 5am!
My hives propped open, in the evening:
(nevermind, I can't post attachments)
John
NorthWest_bee_guy
07-29-2009, 10:32 AM
Don't think I would advertize my callousness to colony needs by showing pics of unvented hives and the results.
An article on ventilation can be found in Point of View, this site.
Walt
Um walt if you would like to know the avrage temp in western washington is a round 75 degrees in the summer anything over that is hot we don't have hot summers it rains 9 months out of the year. Were i live we avrage 100 inches a rain per year. whats going on is a real fluke in heat.
iwombat
07-29-2009, 11:19 AM
I just slid my top box back enough to expose a crack, and took the trays out of the SBBs. That got most of the bees back inside. If the heatwave were extended more than the couple more days it's forecast I'd do something else. Honestly, I think the bees can cope with the heat for a couple days though.
EastSideBuzz
07-29-2009, 11:57 AM
EastSideBuzz,
It is going to be even hotter today in the NW. Out in West Seattle mine have not been bearding nearly as much as yours, even in full sun. I would suggest increasing the size of your chopsticks. I have mine open with a 2 x 4 under the outer cover as well as a shim under the inner cover, and a screened bottom board.
So propping them open 1 inch to an inch is ok? I was worried they would have attacks from the other hives. I had opened one up the picture with the lid on one side giving it a 1 inch lift and they filled the gap with hundreds of bee's amazingly fast. It is above the super so they are a bit protective.
Squished one of the girls by accident and they sure were pissed at me. I had dozens of them all over me trying real hard to get at me for quite awhile. One did find my ankle through my sock. Need to wear boots now. Sure like my new bee suit I got from Mann Lake last week. Next time I will also smoke them which I was too lazy to fire up last night. :doh: This is a learning process and they sure remind me when I do things wrong.
DutchBee
07-29-2009, 01:11 PM
Hot weather? What is that?? :waiting:
No kidding.
It is Cold in Michigan! No summer to speak of!
Hormel
07-29-2009, 02:30 PM
[QUOTE=EastSideBuzz;449294]So propping them open 1 inch to an inch is ok? I was worried they would have attacks from the other hives. I had opened one up the picture with the lid on one side giving it a 1 inch lift and they filled the gap with hundreds of bee's amazingly fast. It is above the super so they are a bit protective.
EastsideBuzz
Not sure if your hives will attack each other but I have not had any problems with two strong hives next to each other. I have also had the supers each pulled back about 3/4" but went back to top venting. I will close them down more in September. 94 and rising, should see a 100 soon! (yes, that is hot for us here for those reading in TX)
John
http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/ae92/Hormel/1.jpg
EastSideBuzz,
...But with the nice weather it is nice to see the bees out working at 5am!
My hives propped open, in the evening:
No kidding! When I get up at 6:00, all the bees that were bearding the night before are out working. I'm thinking about getting up around 4 am just to see what happens at first light. Do they slowly take wing a few at a time or do 2,000 foragers just get up and scatter within a few minutes?
With the SBB and both upper and bottom entrances none of the hives are bearding during the day. They slowly start bearding up around 5:00 or so and hang out on the porch all night as far as I can tell. It's so hot I'm thinking about joining them!:cool:
~Reid
NasalSponge
07-29-2009, 05:14 PM
This has been a strange year...we had several weeks at 100+ but it has since cooled down.....I think 102 with 20% humidity is better that 95 and 90%!! My ladies did fine during the 100+ weeks, they did some bearding but nothing like EastSide's....WOW I guess bees get used to the area climate like we do.
SBB and propped tops take care of most bearding here. I use 1/4" or so twigs to prop my tops. I have some hives painted dark too. It really doesn't seem to matter to the bees what color they are. They beard or not pretty much based on ventilation. We get a lot of 90/90 weather here to along with a few days of 105 stuff.
wcubed
07-31-2009, 02:40 AM
My DSL link is messing with my head. Made another posting on this thread that didn't get there. Recieved another notice of a posting, I couldn't find. That was chastising me for being too rough on beginners. True. I apologize for that. Am aware that beginners courses or books do not treat colony internal operations, or how to help them meet their goals.
The posting that didn't get there or reasonable facimily follows:
The article in POV this site points out that to get good ventilation the outlet at top of the hive needs to have as much cross section as the entry. My entry has about 13 square inches. I cut out my inner cover vent with a 4 X 4 opening - the slot in a standard inner cover is not nearly enough to get adequate flow. Didn't see an inner cover in your pics, But if you lift the front corners about a half inch, you'll have about 18 square inches of cross section of vent - more than enough. SBBs a different scenario.
The last thing in the world that I want to do is alienate beginners. Advancing the craft rests on your shoulders. If we are ever to break the chain of misinformation handed down from yesteryear, you must do it.
Walt
NorthWest_bee_guy
08-02-2009, 09:55 AM
One nice thing about living in the Pacific North west Our heat waves only last a few days. It over my bees did fine.