Roofspace Bee Keeping

[The Apprentices]

Hi Folks

Has anyone here ever heard about, seen or tried their hand at keeping hives in the atic, if so what are the ways to go.

 

[viridens]

I tried this some years back. I used a modified entrance block and a length of pipe out at the eaves. The downside was needing to illuminate the hive when checking it through and losing bees to the lights and into the loft itself... They didn't seem to find their way back through the crownboard (no roof required!)
If you have a velux window that they can escape through and do your inspections in daylight you should be ok.

 

[zng109]

not personaly but Lord waits has a brick build in his garden that holds the houses hive, but it was the gardeners domain.
mine are on a custom built platform on my shed roof as I have no space in my garden.
(my shed is hand built from 4" x 2" so a very sturdy structure with a 12mm ply double pitch roof, I wouldnt even attempt it on a B&Q shed)

 

[The Apprentices]

I tried this some years back. I used a modified entrance block and a length of pipe out at the eaves. The downside was needing to illuminate the hive when checking it through and losing bees to the lights and into the loft itself... They didn't seem to find their way back through the crownboard (no roof required!)
If you have a velux window that they can escape through and do your inspections in daylight you should be ok.

I did some searching around and a couple of other people including a freind mentioned using a red light, the same type as a photographic darkroom light and the bees might not be able to distinguish between red light, what do you think?

 

[VEG]

you will still get bees outside of the hive whatever light you use. They need a way to get outside so they can get back into the entrance. The other problem is the heat in the attic in the summer could cause melt down of the hive.

 

[The Apprentices]

you will still get bees outside of the hive whatever light you use. They need a way to get outside so they can get back into the entrance. The other problem is the heat in the attic in the summer could cause melt down of the hive.

I went up into the loft yesterday and it hit me, the heat that is, before the roof was done and new felt fitted I remember it was a lot cooler then.

A hive close to the underside of the slates will get fairly warm, so I will take a temp reading to see what maximums it his, if they are near 147 F the games over I guess.

 

[oliver90owner]

if they are near 147 F the games over I guess.

Looong before that!

 

[The Apprentices]

if they are near 147 F the games over I guess.

Looong before that!

The next really hot day I will take a 24 hour reading.

 

[Hombre]

Bees do not see red light, in the same way that you do not see infra red light.

bees cannot use camera phones to check if their TV remote controllers are emitting light or not.

 

[DarynWebb]

I thought about doing this but I fear it would be way too hot and the bees would spend to much time looking for water to keep the hive cool

 

[The Apprentices]

It looks like today is going to be a scorcher and that all important temp recording.

If all comes back suitable, I was thinking of errecting some kind of inner room from plastic sheet or thin plywood to prevent the colony gaining access to the whole foof space and lift up a couple of slates so the bees can find their way back outside again.

The light situation won't so matter so much then, if bees see red light in a different way, I should appear as a dark figure and possibly part of the hive maybe.

Time will tell I suppose, where there's a will there,s always a way of doing things differently.

If at first you don't succeed your next one should be better