Air condition for the beehives - Addendum -

Dear bee lovers,

dear friends of the foundation.

We received several questions about the last blog entry, which we are happy to answer here:

How many degrees does the temperature drop when the outside temperature is even higher?

-- We measured outside temperatures of up to 40.8° Celsius. At temperatures above 36°C, the difference between the outside and inside temperatures was up to 4.3°C. This is due to increased evaporation, which creates more cool air. However, at these temperatures, the clay pots were already dry after about 4 hours and had to be replaced with newly watered pots. The drying time at temperatures below 36° was 6 hours on average.

I have no way of providing full shade for my beehives. In the afternoon, from around 2 p.m. in summer, the area is exposed to the sun until sunset. Does your system still work?

-- We also simulated this situation within our research project. However, we only used two beehives. Yes, it works in principle. It should be noted that evaporation in sunlight is approximately 60% faster. This means that the pots need to be replaced approximately every three hours.

Due to my job, I am unable to water the pots during the day. Are there any other options?

-- We tested various options.

We used larger and therefore thicker pots. This was not successful. The smaller pot remained moist. As a result, no cooler air flowed into the hive.

We also tried using 3 or 4 pots instead of 2. In these tests, evaporation was also insufficient to achieve a cooling effect. We have received several questions of this kind. We believe the solution lies in an automatic watering system, such as those used for plants. We are taking up this idea and will work on it.

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• My beehives have a metal cover above the wooden cover. Should I make the hole in this cover?

  
  

  -- No, definitely not. You will need the cover again outside of midsummer. If you do not have one, please make a wooden cover that fits securely on the hive. This should be sufficient protection against light rain. Then make the hole in this wooden panel. If there is a risk of thunderstorms, replace your metal cover.

  
  

• Do I need to install a wireless thermometer?

  

  
  

  -- No, you do not need wireless thermometers. This was important for our research project in order to be able to record valid results. You can do without thermometers altogether. The temperature will be lowered in any case with this approach.

  
  

  We are delighted by the lively interest in our project.

  
  

  Warm regards and be(e) good,

  Yours sincerely,

  
  

  Klaus Heinzel