One of the first concepts I learnt when hearing about apicentric beekeeping was the concept of “hive atmosphere” and its vital role in colony health. Hive atmosphere describes the ideal conditions inside of the hive, and takes into consideration the temperature, humidity and other environmental factors at which the honey bee hive smoothly operates at. Brood seems to develop in the hive most effectively at 32°C (and Queen cells at 35°C) at a humidity between 50% and 60%. This implies that in warmer months, bees must expend energy to fan the hive and initiate evaporative cooling techniques, and in the cooler months generating heat using their wing muscles. Even in Brisbane, which is relatively free from blistering hot summers and snowcapped winters, the first twelve days of 2016 have yielded a range of 18.5°C minimum and 32°C maximum temperatures, with 41% minimum  and 95% maximum relative humidity. This is before you even take the many various pheromones and vibrations the bees use to regulate their internal operations and efficiency. For the bees to maintain constant hive atmosphere, the hive has to expend a lot of time and energy.

How this should influence the beekeeper

A beekeeper should consider that every time they open their hive, they are releasing the hive atmosphere that the bees have created, and therefore negatively impacting the health of the hive. Even if you are not an apicentric beekeeper, the concept is quite simple: every time you open your hive, the bees need to burn energy (see: honey) to return the hive atmosphere back to optimal levels. You, as the guardian of these creatures, should take it as a personal mission to help the bees maintain these conditions, which you can do using a few of the following practices.

Have a plan worked out before you open the hive

The first step is to ensure you have a plan prior to lifting the lid of your hive. The plan can be relatively generalised, potentially as simple as a mental list of what you want to achieve by opening your hive. Even if your plan is “a general inspection” you should go over in your head what things you are looking for specifically prior to cracking the hive open. I would recommend that beginner beekeepers try to record their plan in a “bee journal” which can also serve to note any observations you have and save you from having to constantly reopen a hive to check their status. Also, coming up with ingenious ways to check your hive without opening it (like an observation window or hive) may save both you and the bees precious time and energy.

Use insulation and ventilation to your advantage

When you step outside on a cold winters day, you usually start to shiver unless you are wearing extra layers. This is your body’s attempt to burn energy to generate heat and keep you warm. The bees do the same thing for their hive. There are many ways to insulate your hive, both from cold and from heat. Be careful not to smother the bees though, and still strive to give them adequate ventilation. I have seen hives built with thicker walls, or some with special insulating wraps, or even simply adding wood chips to a shallow super on top of the hive. I have heard a few times that Langstroth hive openings may be too wide for bees to properly insulate themselves during winter and autumn conditions (as well as too large to properly be able to defend the hive) and multiple circle hole style entrances are better (I may do an article of this at a later time). Unfortunately there is not a “one fits all solution,” as bees are kept all over the world, with wildly varying conditions imposed of them. I would recommend seeing what other beekeepers do about insulation and ventilation in your area, or try different ideas on your hives and note the results.

Try to keep your apiary genetically diverse

There is evidence to support that hives with genetic diversity increases the hives ability to regulate hive atmosphere. This implies that the widespread practice of artificially limiting drone production may eventually impact your apiary’s ability to thermoregulate, and ultimately reduce the efficiency of a hive. Increasing the genetic diversity can be as simple as that trying to source bees from multiple breeders, or collecting wild swarms.

Be aware of your hive and the surrounding conditions

Simply being aware that you have hives require specific internal conditions to function properly and healthily is a large step towards helping the problem. I recommend taking note of the external conditions of a hive, as well as the weather and wind levels prior to even attempting to open a hive. Experimenting with different feeding options may also be a valuable way to see how you help your colony survive rough conditions in a way which they best respond to. Rising or falling pest levels could also indicate whether your hive is functioning normally, as correct hive atmosphere it has already been shown reduce the reproduction rates of Varroa overseas.

A point to leave you with

Whilst I have gone on a lot about beekeeper intervention being detrimental to the hive, I will remind you all that interacting with your bees is at times a necessary evil which ensures you can monitor hive health and maintain pest control measures. I am certainly not saying that leaving your hive untouched is the solution to all of the honeybee’s problems, but what I am saying is that your actions always have consequences, and taking some time to assess the efficiency and necessity of your methods may save your colonies some grief further down the line.

This article is written as a general guide, and does not substitute your need to comply with local apiary and beekeeping laws and rules. In Queensland, for example, your frames must be able to be removed for inspection (by law) and therefore leaving your bees unattended for extended periods of time may compromise your ability to do this. If you have any further suggestions for acticles, or general questions, please email me at beebenefactor@gmail.com