Light or temperature?

[Zante]

Today the weather was quite odd: the sky was overcast, the kind of dark clouds that holds back much of the light (consider that in the early afternoon the light was on in the room I work in, which is unusual even at 6pm), but there was a fairly warm wind.
I was wondering if the bees would be flying thanks to the pleasant temperature or whether they'd stay put because of the low light. It felt like evening all day...

 

[Erichalfbee]

And were they?

 

[PaulCarroll]

Too cold here in the South East. Even when the sun did appear the wind chill was not to my bees liking and very little movement at all today. Not sure the light is an issue, though I always feel the bees can sense rain and take avoiding action long before it arrives, so dark clouds may be a signal to return to base. I am sure someone with greater knowledge than I will provide the scientific answer. That is the beauty of this forum I find!!


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[For want of a better word]

Amm seem to respond to UV levels.... often overcast, drizzly and cold here... but bees still active.

[Yellow beasts like full sun as one would expect as adapted to the Mediterranean climate!]

Yeghes da

 

[Zante]

And were they?

I don't know, I was asking what bees would do usually in such conditions.
I wasn't able to go to the apiary and check mine.

 

[Zante]

Amm seem to respond to UV levels.... often overcast, drizzly and cold here... but bees still active.

[Yellow beasts like full sun as one would expect as adapted to the Mediterranean climate!]

Yeghes da

Mine instead are aml, as you might have guessed by my location

 

[Erichalfbee]

I don't know, I was asking what bees would do usually in such conditions.
I wasn't able to go to the apiary and check mine.

Ah, I see.
It might depend on the forage?
Mine are madly on dandelions at the moment and when the light is bad the blooms are closed so fewer bees are out. In the sunshine the bees are flying even at 7˚

 

[user 6228]

Amm seem to respond to UV levels.... often overcast, drizzly and cold here... but bees still active.

[Yellow beasts like full sun as one would expect as adapted to the Mediterranean climate!]

Yeghes da

if you have a reference for that i would be really interested... A key difference in North West Europe is not extreme temperature but reduced hours of sunshine.

 

[colinc]

Ah, I see.

It might depend on the forage?

Mine are madly on dandelions at the moment and when the light is bad the blooms are closed so fewer bees are out. In the sunshine the bees are flying even at 7

Earlier in the week I was watching the bees and the thermometer out of interest it was sunny and they exploded from the hive as soon as the thermometer hit 8degC.


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[Zante]

Ah, I see.
It might depend on the forage?
Mine are madly on dandelions at the moment and when the light is bad the blooms are closed so fewer bees are out. In the sunshine the bees are flying even at 7˚

Acacia is in full swing now and there's lots of it around.
There are a few horse chestnuts blooming in the area.
The lady whose land I'm occupying also has a large hedge of rosemary (about 10 meters of it), which was in full bloom last week, probably still has quite a bit of forage.
Plus an assortment of field wildflowers, including daisies, what's left of the dandelions and something that looks like hyssop, but is a bit smaller.

 

[Poly Hive]

Derek?

Experience only so no references which are over credited....

Good black bees fly in low temps and yellow ones ponder on the alighting board/ entrance. Seen it times.

PH

 

[Zante]

Derek?

Experience only so no references which are over credited....

Good black bees fly in low temps and yellow ones ponder on the alighting board/ entrance. Seen it times.

PH

But the conditions here were different. Clouds so thick it looks like early evening all day and a warm breeze that brings higher temperatures. During the day temperatures were between 16 and 19 Celsius.
I was wondering if temperatures would be enough to get them to fly or the low light would have kept them in.

 

[colinc]

They probably stayed in for the threat of rain at those temps they should be flying


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[Beefriendly]

I was wondering if the bees would be flying thanks to the pleasant temperature or whether they'd stay put because of the low light. It felt like evening all day...

In those warm conditions they should be flying, irrespective of density of cloud cover. They can locate the position of the sun via polarized light through the cloud and so can navigate fine.
In my Northern climes most of my hives have some bees are flying at 8-10oC in anything but rain. Notably they are more active close to the house when conditions are cold as they don't seem to like to fly long distances at these temperatures. Yesterday never got above 8oC but my Buckfast were working the cherry and currant blossoms in the garden. Notable my so called UK well adapted Amm's stayed at home scoffing their stores.

 

[Millet]

In those warm conditions they should be flying, irrespective of density of cloud cover. They can locate the position of the sun via polarized light through the cloud and so can navigate fine.
In my Northern climes most of my hives have some bees are flying at 8-10oC in anything but rain. Notably they are more active close to the house when conditions are cold as they don't seem to like to fly long distances at these temperatures. Yesterday never got above 8oC but my Buckfast were working the cherry and currant blossoms in the garden. Notable my so called UK well adapted Amm's stayed at home scoffing their stores.

80C that's damn warm.. .

 

[user 6228]

Derek?

Experience only so no references which are over credited....

Good black bees fly in low temps and yellow ones ponder on the alighting board/ entrance. Seen it times.

PH

The inteaction of light levels and temperature and bee race must worth at least one Phd but "sigh" its not virology or genetics or pesticides.
My anecdotal evidence is that in tree level conductance hives the local bees are driven mostly by light levels from 4C upwards even with solid floors and light reducing entrances.
re: references

when you are trying to do a Phd its references that count but there are certainly howlers out there i.e.

A behaviour model that assumes: outside temperature is 25C all year , evaporating nectar takes no energy whats so ever, the amount of energy to to keep a larvae at the right temperature is the same all year , Heat is the same as heat flow and it can have units of degrees Celsius.

Another that assumes all heat leaves a comb via conduction (note if it did the comb would melt)

Another assumes the heat conductance of a comb in air is the same when its spine is horizontal as when it's in the normal vertical orientation. .

Another assumes only high humidty exists in the tropics.

All of the above were peer reviewed and published in Academic journals!!!!

 

[For want of a better word]

In those warm conditions they should be flying, irrespective of density of cloud cover. They can locate the position of the sun via polarized light through the cloud and so can navigate fine.
In my Northern climes most of my hives have some bees are flying at 8-10oC in anything but rain. Notably they are more active close to the house when conditions are cold as they don't seem to like to fly long distances at these temperatures. Yesterday never got above 8oC but my Buckfast were working the cherry and currant blossoms in the garden. Notable my so called UK well adapted Amm's stayed at home scoffing their stores.

You can get polarized light glasses from Specsavers... good investment for Italian beekeepers!

Of note... the darker coloured bees seem to fly in overcast conditions.... can not comment on so called Buckfast /Buxton/Manuka branded bees as I do not have any!

Yeghes da

 

[Finman]

.
Here on 60 degree latitude Italian bees fly nicely. But we have not yet willow in bloom. I feed pollen patty, yeast and soya.
.

 

[For want of a better word]

Yes indeed I expect they do... but then Finland has a girtlikken big ozone hole floating above it concentrating the UV Radiation no doubt!

Yeghes da