Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: How Cold Will Bees Fly?  (Read 11529 times)

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
How Cold Will Bees Fly?
« on: December 26, 2008, 07:31:05 pm »
I am continually amazed at bees and I learn something new every year. 
Yesterday (Christmas) the weather warmed up to 1-2 degrees above freezing for a couple of hours.
Today, 30 F, snowing hard, my daughter (the beekeeper) went out to feed the livestock and found bees in the chicken waters that hadn't been there yesterday.  So, previous to yesterday the lowest temperature I've known bees to take cleansing flights was 38 F on a clear sunny day, but yesterday was not clear or sunny, it was overcast and at least 3 degrees below the previously lowest known temp, not to mention the adverse weather conditions.
She thought the bees might be short on stores and so I sent her out to feed granulated sugar to the hives.  She came back to report that the OWC hive (hers) had broken cluster, (some actually flew about when she opened the hive) but that were still plenty of stores in the hive but she'd gone ahead and feed them the sugar anyway.  My hive (Russian) were still in tight cluster with no noticable movement and plenty of stores observable, she also feed it too. 
Cleansing or water flights are the only reasons I can think of for the bees to fly.  We've had 2 weeks of temps at or below freezing and that might be a part of it too.  But at 33-34 F in the snow and wind?

Comments please.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Jerrymac

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 6047
  • Gender: Male
Re: How Cold Will Bees Fly?
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2008, 08:40:25 pm »
I have noticed many times bees flying at temps below 45F. The other day it seemed really cool out, the sun was shining and no wind to speak of and they were out in force invading a root beer can that was left on the porch and collecting water from a drip hole on a freezer. But... I didn't pay any attention to what the temp was.
:rainbowflower:  Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.   :rainbowflower:

 :jerry:

My pictures.Type in password;  youview
     http://photobucket.com/albums/v225/Jerry-mac/

Offline Two Bees

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 614
  • Gender: Male
Re: How Cold Will Bees Fly?
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2008, 10:40:00 pm »
Brian,

On Monday of this week, I noticed bees flying and it was 38 degrees.  I also thought that 45 degrees was the lowest temp that they would fly.

Yesterday (Christmas) the temps were higher (56) and I saw bees bringing in pollen.  Not sure where they were getting it...........but they were bringing it in!

 
"Don't know what I'd do without that boy......but I'm sure willin' to give it a try!"
J.D. Clampett commenting about Jethro Bodine.

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: How Cold Will Bees Fly?
« Reply #3 on: December 26, 2008, 10:50:48 pm »
Yesterday (Christmas) the temps were higher (56) and I saw bees bringing in pollen.  Not sure where they were getting it...........but they were bringing it in!

It has been my experience that, regardless of the time or season of the year, if the be get out of the hive there is a pollen source available.  The the notable exception of when said pollen source in buried in snow.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Michael Bush

  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 19835
  • Gender: Male
    • bushfarms.com
Re: How Cold Will Bees Fly?
« Reply #4 on: December 28, 2008, 12:33:25 pm »
If the sun is out and you have dark bees they fly in quite cold weather.  If the sun is NOT out and the bees are Italians, they probably won't get out until it's 50 F.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
-------------------
"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: How Cold Will Bees Fly?
« Reply #5 on: December 28, 2008, 12:53:06 pm »
If the sun is out and you have dark bees they fly in quite cold weather.  If the sun is NOT out and the bees are Italians, they probably won't get out until it's 50 F.

Mine are mutt Italians from swarms and cutouts and indeed there are individual cold preferences from hive to hive.

I have a few hives that fly in just about anything, rain, cold. I know for a fact a few I have at the house fly in the low to mid 40's F.

One in particular is one housed in a beemax set up.


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: How Cold Will Bees Fly?
« Reply #6 on: December 28, 2008, 09:24:05 pm »
If the sun is out and you have dark bees they fly in quite cold weather.  If the sun is NOT out and the bees are Italians, they probably won't get out until it's 50 F.

At 33-34 F, windy and snowing and bees flying.  Mine are Russians and OWCs.  It was the OWC that were out and about.  Prior to this I'd have said at least 38F on a clear, windless, sunny day.  Have to change my extremes now.  I do agree if I had Italians they'd still be in lock down.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline bassman1977

  • "King Bee"
  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1788
  • Gender: Male
Re: How Cold Will Bees Fly?
« Reply #7 on: December 30, 2008, 12:45:11 am »
That is amazing.  The coldest I've seen my bees flying around is about 45 degrees.  I have seen them at the entrance at about 40.  My carnies and italians seem to fly at roughly the same time.  It was in the 50s  a for a brief period recently and they were all out full force.
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(''')_(''')

Offline tandemrx

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 241
Re: How Cold Will Bees Fly? . . . mine down to at least 30 degrees.
« Reply #8 on: December 30, 2008, 09:23:12 am »
On December 8th of this year I visited our hives.  I went out to the property we keep our bees on and strapped on my cross-country skis (had a foot of snow on the ground - everything well covered in snow).  It was somewhere between 28 and 30 degrees outside (recorded high temperature for the day was 32 degrees, but that was after dark when a warm front was coming through).  It was partly cloudy and about 10 mph wind - more calm around the hives that are behind a large hill.  We have carnolian bees.

I was surprised looking at our yellow hive with all the activity around the auger hole with bees moving around at the edge of the opening and inside and about every 3-4 minutes a bee would come out and fly off on usual summer trajectory to parts unknown (up very high and to the north).  One bee flew out and immediately dive bombed into the snow, struggled, got flight again and took off to parts unknown.   Some bees flew out a few feet and then came back in.  I never saw a bee come back from long return flight.  But I didn't stick around for a long time.

In front of the yellow hive there are at least 50 bees scattered around 5 to 20 feet from the entrance who clearly either never made it very far, or died on their way back.  They were under different light layers of snow - so these bees probably accumulated over a couple days.

Another flew from our other white hive into the snow and couldn’t get up off its back.  I lifted it to the hive entrance, but it froze/died before it could crawl back in.   Only about 15-20 in front of white hive, but a bee would come out of there every 5 minutes or so and either take off or sometimes try to fly back in (not always successful).

I kept yelling at them not to fly away but to stay inside and stay warm, but they wouldn’t listen.

I was shocked at so much activity in these temps.

I went out to the hives on Dec. 24th after a number of heavy snows (more than a couple feet of snow in most places) and it was about 20 degrees and very windy and overcast.  I was on skis again, but wished I had used snow shoes.

This time, no bees were to be seen (didn't open the hive, just looked into the auger hole).  I couldn't hear any activity, but didn't want to tap on the hive and disturb them as temps were dropping fast.

 


Offline KONASDAD

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2011
  • Gender: Male
Re: How Cold Will Bees Fly?
« Reply #9 on: December 31, 2008, 11:24:12 am »
My ferals were flying this week in 38F weather. The ferals will fly in the strangest of circumstances compared to my hygenics. Black bees will even fly before sunrise when the flow is on as well.
"The more complex the Mind, the Greater the need for the simplicity of Play".

Offline chrisld

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 6
  • Gender: Male
Re: How Cold Will Bees Fly?
« Reply #10 on: December 31, 2008, 09:58:39 pm »
 It weird I never thought about this until I got intrested in bee. Its been in the sixties here and I let a bee out of my house today. I see bees everywhere now and never seen them before thats interesting.

Have a Great day
Chris

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: How Cold Will Bees Fly?
« Reply #11 on: December 31, 2008, 10:09:48 pm »
It weird I never thought about this until I got intrested in bee. Its been in the sixties here and I let a bee out of my house today. I see bees everywhere now and never seen them before thats interesting.

Have a Great day
Chris

A whole new world Chris. And you'll never look at trees and flowers the same either. Wait til you see your first swarm!


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com