an experiment

[Finman]

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40 litres = one Langstroth box.

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[user 6228]

Having run the temperature monitoring for a while I'm baffled .
Last night as the temperature outside dropped so did the internal walls of hive down to 23c at the top 10c at the bottom. reasonable for cluster at the top of the hive. This morning at 7am the bee decide to increase the whole of the top to 31c and the bottom to 19c even though the outside was at 2c. After bright start most of the day was dark, however the bees have maintained this temperature. Why? Is it a case of "Red sky in the morning hives are a warming" ?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Do you know I have no idea but it's fascinating. Keep posting all this data, derekm and thanks

 

[user 6228]

Another curious event was when elaine put the fondant at the top. The temperature at the top dipped only slightly, but you could see the rest of the hive increasing its temperature even though the lid was off.
It certainly does look as though removing the constraints of low profile, high conductivity boxes exposes more bee behaviour.

8.50 pm : 4.7 c , outside 31.7 at the top on the hive wall. And 20c on the wall opposite the lowest part of any frame.

 

[user 6228]

Crazy bees decided at 9pm that a change from 23c to 30c would be nice.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Another curious event was when elaine put the fondant at the top. The temperature at the top dipped only slightly, but you could see the rest of the hive increasing its temperature even though the lid was off.

I seem to remember a few posts by Finman about the bees raising the temperature quite high, during and after inspections.

 

[Itchy]

What other external measurements are you taking?

 

[user 6228]

What other external measurements are you taking?

We have ambient temperature 5.88 at the moment

 

[Itchy]

I was wondering if what bees do within the hives relates to things like pressure, humidity, wind speed etc

 

[user 6228]

the entrance is now at 19c .... but why do this late at night
????

as regards correlation with other factors ... suggest anything that comes to mind.

 

[Skyhook]

the entrance is now at 19c .... but why do this late at night
????

Party?


I hate to be the one to ask, but... are you confident your equipment is working as it should?
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[user 6228]

Party?


I hate to be the one to ask, but... are you confident your equipment is working as it should?
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Yes there are 28 sensors in the hive and they are digital. they are "in agreement wth each other". It was my first thought on this as well, but no its not the sensors.

 

[Hivemaker.]

as regards correlation with other factors ... suggest anything that comes to mind.

Are they in an area where any kind of animal could get near the entrance?

I know that back when we used to get Acarine it would cause bees to become agitated, i wonder if varroa mites could have a similar effect.

Quote.
We found that bees with even heavy acarine infestations would usually winter safely, if they had enough food. Infested stocks tended to behave in winter as if disturbed and uncomfortable, individual bees moving about more than healthy clusters, raising heat and losing it, thus consuming very much more food in winter.

 

[REDWOOD]

Having run the temperature monitoring for a while I'm baffled .
Last night as the temperature outside dropped so did the internal walls of hive down to 23c at the top 10c at the bottom. reasonable for cluster at the top of the hive. This morning at 7am the bee decide to increase the whole of the top to 31c and the bottom to 19c even though the outside was at 2c. After bright start most of the day was dark, however the bees have maintained this temperature. Why? Is it a case of "Red sky in the morning hives are a warming" ?

You could not be far wrong there, most winged insects need a higher temp to fly, you often see insects in the morning sunlight pumping blood into their wings ready to fly

 

[enrico]

On another subject, I know when you first started this experiment I had concerns about the orientation of the cells. Have you looked to see if the bees have twisted the cells to be the correct way up or if they are living with them on their sides? Just interested, thanks
E

 

[user 6228]

Are they in an area where any kind of animal could get near the entrance?

I know that back when we used to get Acarine it would cause bees to become agitated, i wonder if varroa mites could have a similar effect.

Quote.
We found that bees with even heavy acarine infestations would usually winter safely, if they had enough food. Infested stocks tended to behave in winter as if disturbed and uncomfortable, individual bees moving about more than healthy clusters, raising heat and losing it, thus consuming very much more food in winter.

Animal disturbance? Interesting but Unlikely as it's in a very enclosed garden with bees on tall tubular stands, the temperature is remotely monitored.

 

[user 6228]

On another subject, I know when you first started this experiment I had concerns about the orientation of the cells. Have you looked to see if the bees have twisted the cells to be the correct way up or if they are living with them on their sides? Just interested, thanks
E

Haven't gone back in to look. This type of hive is not the easiest to inspect, or we haven't got the knack yet it being so different. We are leaving that learning process to warmer days.

 

[user 6228]

The bees are roaring away fanning some honey? Well it can only be from fondant. Just below 1c outside but 28+ inside at the walls. They started this at 7pm well after dark... This is not in the books.

 

[Itchy]

The bees are roaring away fanning some honey? Well it can only be from fondant. Just below 1c outside but 28+ inside at the walls. They started this at 7pm well after dark... This is not in the books.

Probably because nobody has measured it inside a Kingspan Hive before.
Keep it up!

 

[Tom Bick]

Perhaps dealing with honey running out of the cells?