I have recently acquired 3 colonies (Egyptian and Saudi hybrids) and am trialling 3 different hive boxes, with 1 being a Flow Hive. I live on a collection of man made islands off the coast of Bahrain in the Arabian Gulf. This is the first time bees have been introduced to the islands and will be an exciting experiment/adventure on many levels.
The extreme heat throughout most of the year and an almost full year of sun/flora activity will keep these girls busy. There are very few beekeepers in the region that are proactive and associations/formal groups are relatively few. I will try and maximise local knowledge where possible and also use this forum to reach out and confirm advice provided from elsewhere.
The variation in hive types and breeds will allow some form of basic assessment and comparison for what would work best in this environment and weather conditions.
I am working on extra protection form direct sunlight and increasing the awareness of bee-friendly trees, plants, flowers and herbs that residents should plant. I am developing a local list from the locals to start me off!
Whilst the region will be new too many, keeping bees in hot temperatures will not be, and I would value any feedback on this subject.
Addictive it certainly is…I am fully hooked! Thank you for the sage advice and I have set up a Gazebo over the 3 hives just to protect against direct sunlight for most of the day. They do not get much relief from the heat and humidity though. They do seem to be tough and hardy girls!
We are currently in a nectar flow period so I am keen to see if there is enough for them locally on the islands. Our other peak nectar period is around April.
Welcome to the forum Tony, I’m thinking your biggest issue is to provide shade and a water supply for the bees. Bees are really poor at swimming so make it a shallow container with plenty of places for the bees to land on and be able to drink from. Wood chips or gravel and stones is good. If your bees are local strains then they should handle the climate well enough.
My climate is sub-tropical so not nearly as hot and humid as yours. I guess the limiting factor is the amount of available foraging plants you have on the island and if you can inspire neighbors to plant bee friendly then that would be great.
Cheers
Thank you for the welcome and the advice. I think it was through some initial research on this forum that I picked up the technique of using a large shallow water bowl with floating woodchips…so they did not have to swim! I am also quite fortunate with a large water source in the back garden where I often see them land and fill up.
Your point regarding available resources is definitely my major concern, but activity seems quite high around the entrances so I hope they are finding enough for now. I will monitor the growth and activity of the broods/honey to assess whether the bees think the same way
