January in the Apiary

[Red Bee]

In the January edition of the BBKA news there is an article headed January in the Apiary. In the article under planning for 2015 there are some bullet points containing tips for purchasing equipment. The one I found interesting was - Make your entrances either left or right, never central; it can avoid starvation! This point is made for the wintering of hives, which in the magazine points to a labelled diagram of a beehive with the entrance to the left stating the bees cluster by the entrance & move up as they eat the stores and then across the hive.

So where are your entrances left or right? Or in the middle?

Discuss.

 

[Apple]

Underneath!




James

 

[Erichalfbee]

My MB hives have a slot entrance right across the box. All the others have an entrance in the middle apart from when they are reduced against wasps when, utilising the same entrance block turned around, they are at either end.
So in the winter they are across the box or in the middle.
There is however a nadired shallow on six of the hives so I doubt the bees are anywhere near the entrance.

 

[alanf]

... This point is made for the wintering of hives, which in the magazine points to a labelled diagram of a beehive with the entrance to the left stating the bees cluster by the entrance & move up as they eat the stores and then across the hive...

Sounds like one of the many suppositions in beekeeping that are passed on as fact without being able to produce any real evidence. In a square hive are they not as likely to move up and back?

 

[richardbees]

...and I was just reading the woodworking tip that suggested I deliberatly chisel a wedge from the top corners of my BBs

 

[wessexmario]

I can understand temperature, humidity, or ventilation differences near the entrance with a solid floor, but with an OMF ???

ps. Is the article on the bbka website? (looked but can't find it)

 

[mintmoth]

The way I understood it is that if the entrance is central, the cluster is central, so when it moves across, it only has half the hive to move to, either left, or right, then it ends against an outer wall. It then has half a hive of empty comb to cross back over to get to the other half, which it won't be keen to do. If the entrance is on one side, the cluster starts out at one wall and has the whole hive to move across until it reaches the other side.

 

[Hivemaker.]

The way I understood it is that if the entrance is central, the cluster is central, so when it moves across, it only has half the hive to move to, either left, or right, then it ends against an outer wall. It then has half a hive of empty comb to cross back over to get to the other half, which it won't be keen to do. If the entrance is on one side, the cluster starts out at one wall and has the whole hive to move across until it reaches the other side.

Mine tend to start at the front and move back as they work their way through their stores.

 

[wessexmario]

The frames in the centre will be warmer due to being further from the sides of the hive.
The frames in the centre will be most likely to have the last brood in as the queen slows down laying into the winter.
Both better reasons why the cluster is likely to start in the middle of the hive than the location of the entrance.


How does a bbka member see the latest "bbka news" on their website?
or do they only put old versions up???

 

[beeno]

Hi all,
My winter brood nests are always to one side whilst in summer they are centered. However, I have noticed that the bees have a preference to walk in one corner or the other in the summer having a choice, but that may be to do with my frames being the warm way around?

 

[Hivemaker.]

The frames in the centre will be most likely to have the last brood in as the queen slows down laying into the winter.
Both better reasons why the cluster is likely to start in the middle of the hive than the location of the entrance.

I find they tend to end the season with the last brood near to the front of the hive, near the entrance, and back fill with stores behind... the entrance is then easier to guard, and also protect the stores behind, as any robbers would have to first get past the bees near the entrance before reaching their stores.

 

[Little John]

[...] a labelled diagram of a beehive with the entrance to the left stating the bees cluster by the entrance & move up as they eat the stores and then across the hive.

That premise conflicts with the findings shown in:
The Thermology of Wintering Honey Bee Colonies - a copy of which is available from:
http://www.beesource.com/resources/usda/the-thermology-of-wintering-honey-bee-colonies/

For anyone who can't be arsed to read that paper, the essential bit is as follows:

When the outside temperature reached 2º, the lowest hive temperature was 2º and the highest 89º. The insulating shell gradually became compacted and the cluster moved away from the front of the hive.

Although this colony reacted typically to the temperature changes, a very unusual movement was also recorded. On January 4 between 0700 and midnight when the outside temperature was between 2º and 9º F., the cluster moved sideways and down into the center body (fig. 6, L, N, P). Then it returned to its original location. Apparently it moved to obtain honey. This demonstrates how a strong colony can move its stores under low temperature conditions. Weaker colonies might starve with honey in the frame next to the cluster, because the bees are unable to generate enough heat to let the cluster spread over additional comb. Other cluster temperature records indicated similar movements, but insufficient readings prevented determining the extent of the movement.

Casual examination of the data might indicate that all cluster movements were due to outside temperature changes. But from closer study of the data taken during periods of relatively constant temperature, it was concluded that solar radiation markedly affected cluster movement. At a constant temperature the check colony cluster withdrew from the entrance and the side of the hive at night.

From the above description it would appear that - providing they are able to do so by virtue of their strength/size - over-wintering colonies may move to wherever there is a source of honey and then move again to wherever the temperature is most favourable.

It also suggests that warmth from solar radiation plays a significant role in enabling cluster movement - which is something that advocates of "you can never have too much insulation" may wish to take into account.

LJ

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I find they tend to end the season with the last brood near to the front of the hive, near the entrance, and back fill with stores behind... .

I can understand temperature, humidity, or ventilation differences near the entrance with a solid floor, but with an OMF ???

I have OMF and underfloor entrances on all my hives and the entrance is left open the full length throughout the year. They still end up going into the winter with brood at the front and all the stores at the back, they do tend to end up with the brood cluster to one oed of the hive as well (rather than in the centre) the association hives have OMF but with standard central entrances (seldom left open full length) and again, in the autumn the cluster tended to be at the front and in one corner.

 

[madasafish]

That premise conflicts with the findings shown in:
The Thermology of Wintering Honey Bee Colonies - a copy of which is available from:
http://www.beesource.com/resources/usda/the-thermology-of-wintering-honey-bee-colonies/

For anyone who can't be arsed to read that paper, the essential bit is as follows:



From the above description it would appear that - providing they are able to do so by virtue of their strength/size - over-wintering colonies may move to wherever there is a source of honey and then move again to wherever the temperature is most favourable.

It also suggests that warmth from solar radiation plays a significant role in enabling cluster movement - which is something that advocates of "you can never have too much insulation" may wish to take into account.



LJ

Guess which of my 11 hives always has bees out first on a sunny day? The wooden ones with insulation or the poly hive - which is far better insulated by design?

Yes: the poly hive...

Logical of course: they are better insulated so less stressed so a small rise in exterior temperature will be immediately sensed

Remember . Modern hives have OMFs.. Insulated hives are NOT sealed hives...so a change in exterior temperature is evidenced through the OMF - if not the entrance.

 

[masterBK]

Ian, who wrote that article, is an intelligent , experienced and knowledgeable beekeeper ( he got his NDB a couple of years before I did) so there is a good chance he might be right. Having said that my hive entrances are fairly central but as I winter my bees on double brood boxs I find I don't get isolation starvation problems presumably as the bees can move to the stores using the bee space between the two boxes.