Full sun, or not full sun- that is the question!

[Antipodes]

I have on odd occasion had wax foundation and comb "slump" in hot sunny conditions, which made a right old mess and took some sorting out. For that reason alone I prefer to site my hives where some shade is present during the middle of the day and into the afternoon. If circumstances don't permit this I create protection from the hot sun with an appropriate sheet of plywood or other thin material. This protection can be as simple as a few blocks of wood set on the hive roof to create a space for air to circulate under the shade sheet which is positioned on the top of the blocks. It's not so important with polyhives as the insulation limits heat absorbtion. As always it's your own decision

That's interesting.
How hot was it?

 

[Gilberdyke John]

That's interesting.
How hot was it?

Couldn't give a measured temperature but it was mid summer with full sun all the day before the inspection which revealed the slumped mess.

 

[blackcloud]

I had that happen in the heatwave last year.
A row of hives,all in the full sun.
Identical configuration,Cedar hives,metal roofs with insulation blocks.The only hive to slump its wax was the one with a solid floor.