Summer Bee Keeping Activities Part 2 - Keeping it Cool in the Hive

We live in an area where it can get very hot during the summer months. So how do bees stay cool inside their hive when it is 100+ degrees outside? The answer is actually simple: the same way we do, using fans and coolers.

Photo: The bees in the “Welcome to the Jungle” apprenticeship demo hive gathering outside to stay cool during one of the hot 105 degree days last week. This is called “bearding” and usually is an indicator that things are getting a little crowded on the inside! We plan to add a third box this weekend to give this hive more space.

As a bee keeper, the most important thing for helping our bees keep their hives cool is to provide lots of water nearby. But the water is not used as we might think. In addition to hydration, bees primarily use water to cool down their hives in the hot summer months much in the same way that a swamp cooler works. They do this by spreading water droplets and fanning their wings, creating a cooling evaporation effect inside the hive. 

Again the key is having plenty of water nearby when it gets over 100 degrees outside for an extended period. We learned this the hard way last year. During a week when temperatures rose above 110 degrees for 7 days straight, our water buckets ran out near the hives a lot quicker than we anticipated. (We were filling up a number of 5 and 10 gallon buckets each week that were scattered around the bee hives.) The thing about bees is that they can travel 1-2 miles or more to find water or whatever else they might need. However, due to the continued high heat and now having to travel a considerable distance to get water, a couple of our hives couldn't keep up with maintaining a cool enough temperature. The bees in those hives ended up completely vacating the premises! It was a devastating blow to go check the hives and find that two once thriving hives were now completely empty.

This year we were proactive and put out a large 220 gallon water tank near the hives. When we check the hives every other week or so, we haul out about 60 gallons of water to refill it during the summer. Currently we are using a lid trash can and ice chest to haul the water (I know, I know, it's not fancy, but it was free during trash pick up time and it still gets the job done).

Notice the sticks inside the water container that give the bees a place to land when getting the much needed water.

Once the weather cools below 90 degrees, we don't need to keep the water tank full, as the bees will have no trouble traveling longer distances to find the water they need.

How are you staying cool this summer?

Stay tuned for upcoming Summer Bee Keeping activities post where we will be sharing about doing splits or multiplying hives in the summer, checking for and treating varroa mites and about the summer honey harvest.

Blessings,

Jeff