[dvwilson]

I thought this was very interesting. And yes, my spring hive inspection is done, so I am free to surf the net.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...-bees-success-revealed-heaters-warm-hive.html

By the way, thanks to those who helped and reassured me throughout the nasty NC winter. My small new hive (six frames) survived with a combination of syrup and Mountain Camp, and I have new brood and busy bees. I still can't find the queen. I added her last July after a nasty experience with a laying worker that almost decimated the hive. She was marked, but there is no sign of a green spotted queen. I guess she could have been superceded or lost her color. I am taking the advice and not worrying, because the evidence of a good laying queen is there.

Debbie

 

[Naturegoods]

I am taking the advice and not worrying, because the evidence of a good laying queen is there.

:thumbsup: that's the way to go, and leave her to do her work that she does so well.

I read the article, lets just say I'm skep...ticle. Reminds me of the solar powered hive top cooler ad in beekeeping magazines years ago that had the hive supers in the picutre with the fingergrips facing down!

 

[ShelleyStuart]

I thought this was very interesting. And yes, my spring hive inspection is done, so I am free to surf the net.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...-bees-success-revealed-heaters-warm-hive.html

Debbie

I'm following this article as well. I'm tremendously skeptical about this announcement. My biggest question is: why is this research not being published in a peer-reviewed article instead of a TV show? How can one "heater" bee touch 70 pupae in one cell?

 

[peterloringborst]

How can one "heater" bee touch 70 pupae in one cell?

If you draw a circle with a five cell radius, you will encompass 70 cells.

Caps and gaps: a computer model for studies on brood incubation strategies in honeybees ( Apis mellifera carnica ) Journal: Naturwissenschaften / August, 2007

Abstract

> In addition to heat production on the comb surface, honeybee workers frequently visit open cells (“gaps”) that are scattered throughout the sealed brood area, and enter them to incubate adjacent brood cells. We examined the efficiency of this heating strategy under different environmental conditions and for gap proportions from 0 to 50%. For gap proportions from 4 to 10%, which are common to healthy colonies, we find a significant reduction in the incubation time per brood cell to maintain the correct temperature.