A Small Research Study.
The warm spell seems to be coming to an end here in Nairnshire with a more seasonal temperature of 5 degs C here today. Have you noticed any of your bees out collecting water lately? I haven’t seen any over the past few warm days so I wondered why not. It is quite possible that there is enough water inside the hives from condensation allowing the colony to dilute stores. Also, it makes me suspect that the queens are not laying much yet so there is not a great demand for brood food. Importantly, until the winter bees have emptied their rectums, they will be less likely to take more water on board.
A couple of years ago, I watched bees collect water from the bird’s water dish on our shaded patio when it was really quite cold. This was towards the end of January, and they were very busy. I was curious to to know the lowest temperature at which they would venture out for water. So, I decided to investigate and set up a small research project in my sitting room. I was lucky to have been supported and supervised from afar by Professor Tom Seeley, and we wrote a paper together for American Bee Journal. You can click on the link below to download the article. Unfortunately, the file of published article was too large to download to blog.
Thank you, Ann, for spreading the word of our little study. It is a great example of how there are many opportunities for beekeepers to make valuable observations that can deepen our understanding of the biology of honey bees. –Tom Seeley
Thank you for your assistance with this study, Tom. It was easy taking the observations, but tying it all in and making the conclusion required more skill.