My bees are in a courtyard but with beams above hive. As we’re going to be in for a hot summer, I was thinking of putting some shade cloth over a couple of beams.
Will my bees stress out or appreciate a bit of shade in the middle of the day.
They are happy and busy. I have had some bearding during the hottest time of the day.
My gardener said they seemed a bit grumpier than usual.
Hi Heather, being in a courtyard the hives may not get wind blowing over them so adding some shade during the midday heat may be a good idea. Provided the shade cloth isn’t boxed in and the bees can’t get trapped in it they’ll work it out.
The hives here have no shade all day but do get cross breezes and have insulation in the ceilings and they do fine.
The odd bee here have been a bit toey lately too, I’ve used my jacket to harvest which is unusual. There’s nectar coming in but there’s no real flow up here yet. I’ve found that when I remove the angry bee with a quick clap all is ok again.
Shade during the heat of the day is good, especially if the temp is >35°C but probably appreciated whenever it is hot enough for the bees to need to be outside fanning.
Make sure they have a consistent water supply.
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Yes, they have plenty of water. I also have a “poultry watering” device (with landing rocks), a bird bath (with rocks) and we live on the canals on Mandurah.
I will only put on shade over two panels so the bees won’t get boxed in.
Thanks for info 
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