When temperatures rise to extremely high levels, your bees may be at risk. The world is suffering from higher than normal temperatures as the climate crisis rages on, but some beekeepers are also suffering colony losses. Most of the time, bees are best able to control the temperature inside the hive themselves, but when thermostats rise above 100°F (especially for prolonged periods), your bees may need your help! In extreme temperatures, your bee colonies could literally melt. Read on for tips to safely help your bees survive the dangers of heatwaves.
Water source
Water is critical for cooling the hive. Worker bees collect it in their honey guts and carry it back to the hive where it is used for evaporative cooling. Make sure your bees have a water source that they like. Bees are notoriously picky about where they get their water. If you are experiencing hot weather, you should see bees on your water source. If they are not there, then, the water source is not suitable and you need to try something else. It’s best to establish a water source before the summer so that the bees can easily find and utilize it when the temperatures get high. You can read more about establishing a water source by clicking here.
Provide shade
One of the simplest ways to alleviate heat in your hives is to provide shade. Simply set up an umbrella or shade tent over your hive when you see hot weather predicted in your forecast.
Proper ventilation
I normally discourage beekeepers from venting hives in hot weather because this can sometimes release the scent of honey and make your colony vulnerable to robbing; but in extreme heat, this could save your colony from melted combs and overheating. The best way to vent a hive is by creating an upper entrance so the heat can rise through it. I like to drill a one-inch hole in the uppermost super. If the bees are not using this entrance, you can place a piece of screen over it so that heat can be vented out, but robbers cannot get in.
Remove Metal Roofs
Many beekeepers use metal roofs because they are more durable and often look stylish, but metal conducts heat and this could make all the difference in a heatwave. You can help alleviate the heat inside the hive by covering your metal roof with something white (like a large storage bin lid or a piece of white corrugated sheet, or better yet, trade out your metal roofs for wood ones.
Insulation
Another way to help your colony stay cool is to provide insulation. Many beekeepers use insulation in winter to keep colonies warm in cold weather, but it’s also useful for keeping colonies cool in hot weather. Insulation under the roof especially will help to keep temperatures steady inside the hive, even when they have spiked outside. I recommend adding an insulation box.
6 Comments
We have a colony of bees that have taken over and old birdhouse. Today is got up to 90° and A number of the bees were huddling outside of the birdhouse. We just put up an umbrella to provide shade and it seems to be helping since a lot of the bees have gone back inside.
There is a bowl of water in front of the hive which fills with dead bees every couple of weeks. Is this situation normal? Thank you. Paul
With murder hornets and global warming, it is nice to have one of the biggest bee-keeping problems solved. Hopefully this can give us more time to fix other issues.
I am planning on getting bees but we get really hot summers. You mentioned a ventilated hive. Do you have an example or link as to where I can get one?
Thanks
Is there some way to use honey bees as pollinator in a greenhouse? I thought about putting a hive at the end and drilling a hole in the back so some can come in the greenhouse. has anyone tried this?
Hi There,
You mentioned an insulation box on the hive roof to prevent heat. What do you mean by ‘box’ and what would you use?
Thanks
Mark