Diurnal temperature variation

[wightbees]

How do bees get nectar this time of year, This has got me thinking lol For the bees to get nectar they need higher temps but often looking at the temps given by the met office ,they just seem low. But on doing a bit of google I found out that the given temp is Air temperature ,this is somewhere above, 3 to 6 ft . So have I got this right that the Diurnal temperature variation can be warmer giving the plants the temperature needed to produce nectar .As from what I can tell the lower to ground level temps could be higher than air temps.

Copied this from wiki >

Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation. As solar energy strikes the earth’s surface each morning, a shallow 1–3-centimetre (0.39–1.18 in) layer of air directly above the ground is heated by conduction. Heat exchange between this shallow layer of warm air and the cooler air above is very inefficient. On a warm summer’s day, for example, air temperatures may vary by 16.5 °C (30 °F) from just above the ground to waist height. Incoming solar radiation exceeds outgoing heat energy for many hours after noon and equilibrium is usually reached from 3–5 p.m. but this may be affected by a variety of different things such as large bodies of water, soil type and cover, wind, cloud cover/water vapor, and moisture on the ground.

 

[newportbuzz]

very interesting thanks.

 

[beeno]

Yes, this is why on sunny cool days my bees fly low and forage on garden Scilla and Dutch Blue Bells!