I am new to the bee keeping scene & thus far am loving every bit of it. I must get straight to the point though & give pleasantries later…
Taking a look at the hive externally this morning & I see honey seems to be leaking out the bottom of the brood box. A few bees unfortunately seem to have succumb to its sticvkiness & died in it.
I have attached some photos.
The Super is in place & the bees have been madly getting it formed & have started filling it with honey.
I am wondering if its the heat of the day making the honey ‘melt’? I live in SUNNY Mildura, 34 degrees C yesterday & another 35 degrees C today. We often get a run of 40 degree C days during Summer peak.
Anyway just seeking some experienced advise or an answer to this observation & wether I should do something about it .
THANKS! Ryan.
I would have a look in the hive for the wax comb collapsing with the heat. It could well be a bigger problem than your thinking Ryan.
The hive needs shade from the sun during the heat of the afternoon sun. It also needs a way to let the excessive heat out of the hive to allow it the breath. The temperature inside the hive will be a lot hotter than the ambient temperature outside. A quick fix would be to raise the roof sitting up about 3mm.A long term fix is to fit a kitchen cupboard vent available from Bunnings to each end of the cable roof. If your hive has the cor-flute slider move it to the bottom slot.
Finally, while a natural timber look can look nice but in your Summer temperatures it will only get worse, so I would strongly advise painting the hive white with an exterior grade semi gloss quality paint. OK, a white hive isn’t fashionable, but it should be more important to consider the comfort of the colony. Heat will be your biggest issue.
Also provide water with a little sea salt added and some wood chips floating in it to give the bees a safe landing place to take up the water, not just for drinking but they also use it for cooling the hive.
Cheers Ryan
Glad to make your aquaintance, as I have read many of your posts & was hoping youwould be one to reply
Looks like the bees will have to get through todays 35 degrees
The next few days the temp frops significantly for a week or 2. I shall take your advice & lift the roof for this afternoon 3mm. Then look into the cupboard vent fix… then also I am more than happy to sacrifice the ‘good looks’ of the timber for a more practical white .
The well being of the hive is more important to me than looks! They have been doing so well so far I dont want to go backward with issues like this.
Also, one other thing, in my orchard (where the hive is) I have a top down sprinkler system, with a fine mist spray… Would this trouble the bees if i put this on to cool the area down? The droplets are not big, but I certainly dont want them getting wet if this will do more damage than good?
Yeh I thought id have a bright idea… use a flower pot with a dish under it so I could put oil in the dish to stop ants climbing up… I didnt have a proper stand with 4 legs to use so I got creative.
I wouldnt say its ‘balancing’ as if to infer it could tip over anytime soon. Its pretty solid & has enough weight to stay put.
But I am more than open to suggestions as to where to buy a proper stand for the hive. Ive looked online but not yet decided as there seems to be cheapo looking ones & other sturdy decent ones.
What discomfort the bees might have from fling thru a mist is nothing compared to dying in an over heated bee hive. Follow my tips ASAP, it is only early Spring and it is only going to get hotter.
The ideal brood temperature is 34C +/- 1C. at 41C brood will die because of the heat, Glad to hear your concern is for the bees.
Cheers mate
Use your local Men’s Shed to make a stand made of timber of 3by2 timber. Well painted it will last for years. Most bee gear shops have some type of stand but they aren’t cheap and some are not all that well thought out. Measure to have the top of the brood box a bit lower than your hip height to make inspections more comfortable. Have it long enough for two hives plus a bit extra (about 2 meters).
I am a bit of a DIY fella, and i have the tools needed to build something like that. I might get busy in the shed this weekend (rain is forecast and temp drops back to 18 deg C)
Cheers, Ryan
Id definitely buy local but I dont think there are many if any bee keeping supply stores around here. Maybe Further into VIC there are some, but time is of the essence and postage times are a pain these days.
Further searching online, I see there are proper bee hive vents, that can be opened and closed. Would this be a better option? Winter gets cold here too, down to 1 degree a few nights each year. I wouldn’t want to many open vents.
