shadecloth over hive a good idea?

17 years ago

Hello everyone, my first post on this forum (usually I hang out on the fruit and orchards forum). My question is simple: did we put our hive in a location where the bees will get too hot? Here's the particulars: Our farm has just "inherited" a swarm of bees, which I managed to get into a standard hive with the help of a professional beekeeper (I'm a total newbie to bees, well, almost). We then moved the hive to a more suitable location, further away from neighboring houses. The location that the beekeeper chose has mid-to-late afternoon shade, because it's behind a huge metal storage container, but the hive still gets morning and early afternoon sun. It's a standard, white-colored hive, so the white will reflect some heat, and we do live half a mile from the coast just north of San Diego, so the weather never gets over about 85-90F (even those temps are rare---usually in the 70s ot low 80s). However, in mid-summer, it still gets pretty hot, and I noticed that the place where the bees initally swarmed was a shady spot, under some trees. Now, their hive is out in the open, and I am wondering if I should erect a shadecloth to shelter the hive in its new location. Being a newbie, I'm not sure if this is necessary or even advisable. Any comments/suggestions much appreciated. Thanks.

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Comments (6)

ccrb1
17 years ago
The newest recommendation is for full sun, no shade. It has to do with small hive beetle. The recommendation comes from Florida
thisbud4u
Original Author
17 years ago
ccrb1, Thanks for your reply. By any chance do you have a reference for that recommendation from Florida? I'd like to know more about the "small hive beetle".
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ccrb1
17 years ago
Jerry Hayes from ABJ is the Apiary guy in Florida. His recommendation has been published, and confirmed to me in a private email. But, no, I can't cite chapter and verse.

Feel free to contact him and ask him if you don't trust me. I first heard him recommend this over a year ago, and we changed the recommendation at the Indiana Beekeeping School.

But beekeepers are slow to adapt and often resist accepting changing recommendations. This summer is likely to be the first problem summer for SHB in Indiana.

Here is a link that might be useful: Indiana Beekeeping School
jbdollar
17 years ago
It's been a while since I have had hives, but I had five at one time in Maryland. Four I kept in full sun, one was in a shaded area under some trees. The four in the sun were vigorous, productive, and easy to work with. The shaded hive was the opposite, and were the most miserable bees I ever worked.
thisbud4u
Original Author
17 years ago
Well, thanks a second time. Looks like the jury is in on this verdict. I'll leave mine in the sun. Hard for me to understand why the bees would like to be in the sun, especially since they swarmed to a very shady spot (where I snagged 'em), but if multiple experiences show that the hives are better in the sun, so be it. Wish I could ask the bees themselves!
ccrb1
17 years ago
I think JBDollar asked his bees, his four in the sun were gentle and prosperous, and the one on the shade was mean and not prosperous.

The problem here is we start thinking about what we want, as humans, and transfer our preference to the bees, ie, comfort and shade. The fact is, it's probably easier for the bees to cool a hive rather than heat a hive. Remember, they need to keep it at 95Â° or so all the time.

So I still have people, even associated with our school who recommend partial shade, simply because it seems to make sense. But in practice, full sun, even blazing Arizona or Florda sun, is recommended.