Thermal considerations of keeping bees in hot countries

[Gilberdyke John]

I was intrigued by the entry into the forum of a new beekeeper from the Middle East. His brief description of sacrificial beekeeping methods there started me thinking about the particular problems in the locality regarding temperature control within the hive.
I would expect heavy insulation would be a significant benefit in keeping the heat out of the hive rather than in which is its benefit in cooler climes. The bees can evaporate water within the chamber as a cooling mechanism but the use of an omf could allow the cooled air to fall out of the hive to be replaced by hot air from outside, thus wasting effort and resources. This might suggest that a top ventilator and a solid floor or at least an omf with the inspection slide normally closed would be better.
Perhaps this is a topic which Derek M or any tropical beekeepers can expand on?

 

[Finman]

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If you look youtube, you see lots of Paradise Honey's polyboxes in Australia.

I was told from trustfull source that polyhive gives 30% more honey, because hives' temperature control works better in insulated hive.

Bees keep low temperature in the hive with water evaporation. In coming air is hot, when sun shines onto ground.

But that is never a problem in UK.
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Derekm ruins tropical beekeeping if he goes there.
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[juanito]

Greetings Gilberdyke John,
we have three hives here in Southern Spain and when the temps rise above thirty three degrees the Queen stops laying so there is a brood break during the hottest part of the year and as last year was one of the hottest on record the brood break was quite a long one,
It does make good sense as there are very few forage plants available in those temperatures,
At the moment however our bees are being spoilt for choice, Gazinias Lampranthus, and prunus for pollen and Fresias Rosemary Lavender and Borage for nectar aswell as all the wild flowers out in the campo,with any luck we may get a few spare jars of honey.

 

[user 6228]

I was intrigued by the entry into the forum of a new beekeeper from the Middle East. His brief description of sacrificial beekeeping methods there started me thinking about the particular problems in the locality regarding temperature control within the hive.
I would expect heavy insulation would be a significant benefit in keeping the heat out of the hive rather than in which is its benefit in cooler climes. The bees can evaporate water within the chamber as a cooling mechanism but the use of an omf could allow the cooled air to fall out of the hive to be replaced by hot air from outside, thus wasting effort and resources. This might suggest that a top ventilator and a solid floor or at least an omf with the inspection slide normally closed would be better.
Perhaps this is a topic which Derek M or any tropical beekeepers can expand on?

yes insulation works both ways and the situation is analogous to why a chest freezer is more efficient than one with a door
but the need to maintain internal humidity, and dealing with the combination of high external temperaturewith high external humidity also complicates things...

 

[Chiangmai member]

39 degrees C in Chiangmai earlier this week. Overnight lows of 22C. Queens still laying -did an inspection last week. Bees not flying so much during the hottest part of the day but are very active early on- even before dawn, (when we lose some that are attracted to fluorescent lights). Always try and site hives in areas that have early morning sun and afternoon shade.

Honey flow slow so far this year due to poor flowering of longan and linchee trees. Even where flowering is better at higher elevations, nectar yields seem low.

 

[oliver90owner]

Derekm's ideas on insulation works just as well where outside temps are higher than inside. Simple physics. Insulated hives win over minimum insulation boxes, whether it is hotter or cooler outside.

Bees will only forage when nectar or pollen is available. Hottest temperatures, mentioned above, restricts nectar production. Bess are not stupid; they forage only when nectar is available. They are quite clever, really! More than some of their keepers.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

yes insulation works both ways and the situation is analogous to why a chest freezer is more efficient than one with a door
but the need to maintain internal humidity, and dealing with the combination of high external temperaturewith high external humidity also complicates things...

I was hoping you would spot this thread Derek. I'm not sure what the humidity of the outside air in the Persian Gulf states is but that's yet another variable to throw into the equation.

 

[chorrylan]

Yes.. insulation helps in hot conditions. We have lots of anecdotal support for that down here in oz. Though I'm not aware of any large scale, properly constructed trials for this (victor & dave the paradise poly distributors were going to try this but considered there was so much evidence around including their own that they weren't willing to waste a lot of money running timber hives for comparison. )
None of this goes to the op's question about whether a screened floor helps or hinders in such circumstances.
The paradise poly hives use screened floors and work well here in hot conditions. Top ventilation doesn't work well (it doesn't last more than a season as bees propolis it up anyway).
I'm not aware of much/any testing with poly hives sans top ventilation and using a solid floor.


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