>I been trying to google what the conversion efficiency of honey to heat is to no avail (likely not that critical)

Here is how I am converting the Metabolic Rate to honey consumed.

1kg Honey  =3040 calories (nutrional)
1kg Honey  = 3040 cals x 1.163 W-h/cals
1kg Honey = 3.5 kW-h

Assume a 2kg (4.4lbs) Cluster of Bees @ a Metabolic rate of 10 W/kg for 180 days

Total Metabolic rate  = 2 kg x 10 W / kg x 24h/day x 180 days = 86.40 kW-h

Est Honey "consumed" = 86.40kW-h /3.5 kW-h/kg


I really appreciate your engineering approach. As an aside, would you consider that the metabolic rate would not be constant over the 180 days and will change dynamically with ambient temperature and the activities during cluster expansion?  In periods of high CO2 bees may retreat to an ultra-low metabolic rate as a survival behavior due to hypoxia ( Mitchell and others ) which presents incalculable difficulties with formulaic analysis.  I just heft my hives to see the stores they have used :). 


Bill Hesbach
Cheshire CT USA



 

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