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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
James Fischer <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 30 Mar 2015 21:02:06 -0400
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I skimmed through the patent, and read "the essence of the invention...
temperature increase over 40 C".
That's over 104 F.

Given that bees are said to work very hard to try to keep the broodnest
temperature at about 34 C - 35 C (93 - 95 F), the invention will likely
prompt the bees to set up fanning to vent the heat and save their brood.

So, aside from forcing more bees to fan and forage for water to cool things
down, I don't know what this thing would do.

If I had a heater on a rheostat, and could pump heat at whim into a beehive,
could I overcome the bee's ability to themoregulate?
Sure I could, but what would happen to the brood?
At what point would the wax get soft and start to sag?

Zach Huang created the "mite zapper" a few years ago, which heats up wires
imbedded in the combs, likely the only way to kill varroa without causing
unacceptable collateral damage.

When I was in my second year of beekeeping, I build a few "solar chimneys"
to help the bees evaporate moisture out of the honey by pulling air through
the hives at much greater volumes than the bees could possibly fan.  The
bees showed that they did not appreciate my efforts - they consistently
propolized the vent screens as fast as they could down to small openings.
If I had a stick of gum for every failed experiment I've perpetrated upon my
poor unsuspecting bees, I'd have diabetes by now.

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