Night time temps

[Frosty27]

Hi there, I'm a new beekepper heading into my second season of beekeeping. I have a question about what are acceptable night time temps before inspecting? I don't want to damage a winter cluster. I live in the north east of Scotland. This morning when I came out my house it was 1 degree. Its been warming up to the low double figures most days recently. I wasn't planning to inspect before April anyway but was wondering whats considered a reasonable night temp.

 

[Wilco]

Hi there, I'm a new beekepper heading into my second season of beekeeping. I have a question about what are acceptable night time temps before inspecting? I don't want to damage a winter cluster. I live in the north east of Scotland. This morning when I came out my house it was 1 degree. Its been warming up to the low double figures most days recently. I wasn't planning to inspect before April anyway but was wondering whats considered a reasonable night temp.

Personally I'm less swayed by night time temps than the day temp, whether the bees are flying, how long the inspection takes, how well insulated the hive is, likely colony size and how long the day stays warm after the inspection. Sheltered apiary and wind are factors to consider. My reasoning for this is the amount of heat even a small number of bees can generate in seconds- energy intensive but impressive.

N.b.There are more experienced keepers on here who may suggest differently, it is best to err on the side of caution.

 

[North End Bees]

Temp is only one consideration though, day or night. The afternoon temps in this corner of the country are 18°c for example and sunny all this week.

But as a new beekeeper you have to also think about what you'd do if you inadvertently squished the Queen in that first inspection. Mature drones to mate with any emergency queens they make will be thin on the ground just yet.

 

[Boston Bees]

Hi there, I'm a new beekepper heading into my second season of beekeeping. I have a question about what are acceptable night time temps before inspecting? I don't want to damage a winter cluster. I live in the north east of Scotland. This morning when I came out my house it was 1 degree. Its been warming up to the low double figures most days recently. I wasn't planning to inspect before April anyway but was wondering whats considered a reasonable night temp.

Night-time temps are very important to consider but not so much in terms of inspections - it's more an issue of when to add space above the brood nest (i.e. a super). Adding a super above the brood nest when there are still frosty nights ahead is a good way to set your bees back significantly, as it makes it harder for them to keep the brood warm.

For example, I am in Yorkshire and wouldn't consider adding a super with this forecast coming up next week:



So, I would advise either not adding supers, or adding space under the brood nest instead of above it, while there are still cold nights ahead.

PS: Please put your location in your profile so it appears on the left. It helps people advise you.

 

[Frosty27]

Night-time temps are very important to consider but not so much in terms of inspections - it's more an issue of when to add space above the brood nest (i.e. a super). Adding a super above the brood nest when there are still frosty nights ahead is a good way to set your bees back significantly, as it makes it harder for them to keep the brood warm.

For example, I am in Yorkshire and wouldn't consider adding a super with this forecast coming up next week:

View attachment 30989

So, I would advise either not adding supers, or adding space under the brood nest instead of above it, while there are still cold nights ahead.

PS: Please put your location in your profile so it appears on the left. It helps people advise you.

Thanks for the detailed reply. Cleared things up in my mind for me. I don't really want to get involved with adding boxes underneath if I can avoid it. Will wait and see what the daytime temps are in a couple weeks before I go for a full inspection. Currently I'm just quickly checking fondant levels every couple of weeks.

 

[Boston Bees]

Thanks for the detailed reply. Cleared things up in my mind for me. I don't really want to get involved with adding boxes underneath if I can avoid it. Will wait and see what the daytime temps are in a couple weeks before I go for a full inspection. Currently I'm just quickly checking fondant levels every couple of weeks.

Sounds an eminently sensible approach!