At 11:28 AM 8/16/2004, you wrote:
>Hi all:
>
>Here's a problem that we're trying to solve.  We have a project in a SW
>state where the daily high is 112-117 degrees F.  Gets down to a chilly 90
>degrees at night.
>
>Any tricks to get bees to fly under these severe conditions?

I don't think so.  Temperatures that high are pretty close to the lethal
limit for adult bees.  The lethal limit for the Japanese honeybee is around
118F, and I'd suspect it would be around the same for the European
honeybee.  Brood I believe is even more delicate.   The inside temperature
could get well above the outside temperature without the cooling effort.

I've been told by a beekeeper in an area that gets hot like yours, that
they don't open hives when the temperature gets near or above 100 because
the bees will start to die when you interrupt their cooling. (Not to
mention the effect of the heat on the beekeeper).

I'd expect one of those expensive fan powered units may help with the
cooling, but I still doubt they would fly much in those conditions.

-Tim

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