In the cool evening of a sunny day we will have all noted bees fanning inside the hive but it wasn't until last night that I realised quite how powerful that fanning can be. The OMF's are sitting on top of Vita-Europe Apishields (I know it's not the usual configuration but that's another story).
The only open air space to the hive is at the rear; the gap between the Apishield and the OMF (front entrances are either minimum due to wasps or medium (standard for me).
The first thing I noticed (thanks to a tip from Randy Oliver) was that there was a circulation in process - airflow out on one side was strong and air was clearly being sucked in on the other. I was so intrigued I got a probe thermometer and measured the differential temperatures - out was 25 degC and in was 18 degC, a gain of 7degC ! I think the reason for this fanning is drying out the nectar but what is remarkable about this directional airflow is that the hives are warm way so one would think the frames are obstructing the airflow
This finding begs a number of questions - how do the bees manage on a closed floor or in a tree with only a limited entrance?
Is the Apishield restricting the airflow too much if it is fitted as Vita-Europe recommend (as a replacement floor)? I no longer leave them on over winter and have now adopted the practice of only putting them on when the wasp problem starts.
Thoughts on this gratefully received.......
The only open air space to the hive is at the rear; the gap between the Apishield and the OMF (front entrances are either minimum due to wasps or medium (standard for me).
The first thing I noticed (thanks to a tip from Randy Oliver) was that there was a circulation in process - airflow out on one side was strong and air was clearly being sucked in on the other. I was so intrigued I got a probe thermometer and measured the differential temperatures - out was 25 degC and in was 18 degC, a gain of 7degC ! I think the reason for this fanning is drying out the nectar but what is remarkable about this directional airflow is that the hives are warm way so one would think the frames are obstructing the airflow
This finding begs a number of questions - how do the bees manage on a closed floor or in a tree with only a limited entrance?
Is the Apishield restricting the airflow too much if it is fitted as Vita-Europe recommend (as a replacement floor)? I no longer leave them on over winter and have now adopted the practice of only putting them on when the wasp problem starts.
Thoughts on this gratefully received.......