Submitted to BEE-L by Jerry J. Bromenshenk
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My response (below) states that our on-line observation hive in Montana
does not fly outside on cold days, never to return  yet  Jan says

>>The bees will feel: " Oh, nice weather, and they fly out"
>> it's cold outside (poor Norway), so they will not come back.......

After writing up our observations, I realized that maybe I was missing
something.  Why should my bees in Montana be smart enough not to fly on
cold days.  And then it struck me, MY BEES GO TO THE UNIVERISTY.

>>Rune Stenseth wrote:
>>> We are about to start an experiment with heating of hives
>>> in the spring to increase early strength.
and Jan says the bees in the hives inside the house fly out and don't
return, so don't heat the hive.

With respect to each of these issues:


Heating Hives

Studies have been done concerning the benefits of heating hives in the
winter.  In the 60's, commercial firms tried marketing hive heaters.  To
date, every study that I have seen has failed to clearly demonstrate any
significant benefit of heating a hive - although there also doesn't appear
to be any evidence that gentle heating will harm them.

Observation Hives

I don't know what the bees from your observation hive do, but MY BEES in
our observation hive in my warm office in Montana (and our days may not be
as cold as Norway's, but we certainly are not known for our warm winters)
DO NOT FLY OUT WHEN IT IS COLD OUTSIDE AND NOT COME BACK.

This hive has been on-line for almost a year.  The bees fly on warm, sunny
afternoons.  They have no interest in flying on cold days, nor do they even
check the outside conditions.

About three weeks ago, they started foraging again.  These days, they make
short runs in and out of the entrance at colder temperatures than they did
during the winter.  Apparently, they are anxious to get out to forage and
run in and out to get a better check on the weather - very anxious to fly.
During the winter, they do not go out when temperatures are below 40
degrees F.  For the past three weeks, even at temperatures as cold as 33
degrees, some bees stick their heads out.  BUT THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE DOING,
JUST WALKING OUT AND BACK IN through the counter mounted inside the hive
entrance.  They don't fly until it gets into the 40s.

Anyone can check this out by visiting our web page.


Jerry J. Bromenshenk, Ph.D.
Director, DOE/EPSCoR & Montana Organization for Research in Energy
The University of Montana-Missoula
Missoula, MT  59812-1002
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
Tel:  406-243-5648
Fax:  406-243-4184
http://www.umt.edu/biology/more
http://www.umt.edu/biology/bees