I operate an observation hive in a commercial building, a nursery in a
family farm/market. The hive sits 3' off the ground, with a small 2' long
horizontal exit. This intersects a vertical tube which is a 6" x 6" square
acrylic tube, 10' high as measured from the hives standard 2' horizontal
exit. The top of the tube then goes through a wall horizontally, with an
overhang to help protect the tube from rain. With the hive base 3' off the
ground, the entrance/exit is 12' high. This setup allows the visitors to
see the bees coming and going, and keeps them as protected as can be. In
all the years I have operated it, no visitor has been stung by a honeybee,
despite the tremendous number of visitors to the farm to shop and take the
rides in the amusement park.
Several problems encountered were the temerature/pressure difference from
inside and out, resulting in a draft that must be kept out of the hive.
Keeping the tube from going directly into the hive was the answer. The
vertical tube is longer than necessary to go from the roof to the hive,
with a removable screen at the bottom, several inches below the horizontal
exit of the observation hive which intersects it. This allows dead bees to
be removed, as the bees will drag them out of the hive to the screen, and
any that die near the entrance, will naturally fall to it as well. Once
the bees are accustomed to the tube, the screen can often be removed,
cleaned and replaced without any bees exiting into the room. Rainfall is
another problem, but a small roof or shedding structure at the top will
help. Security may be another problem, if the solution to your situation
allows inadvertent access through an opening that would allow someone the
ability to open it further and gain access from the outside. One way to
overcome this is to set the hive/vertical tube near a wall with a gable end
of the building. This usually allows a peak ceiling, small shed roof on
the exterior, and horizontal exit that can eliminate dealing with later
leaking problems.
The bees do try to walk up, with difficulty, as well as fly. The overall
setup does add stress, but then any observation hive is always under added
stress relative to a standard hive. If you maintain the hive well, as any
observation hive needs to be, the extra length for the exit shouldn't be a
problem. It does take a while for them to figure out how to get in and
out, but they do figure it out. The trick of adding a string is a good
one, and works well, with or without sugar syrup on it. I did encounter
one situation in which the bees attempted to build additional comb at the
base of the vertical acrylic tube during an exceptionally heavy nectar
flow.
Good luck with your hive.
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