844 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



November, 1917 



FRO]VrTHET^lEII>t5l^EXPERrore^ 



Conversations with Doolittle 



" Shall we shade our hives in the apiary? 

 If so, why, how, and when? Is it really 

 necessary? Some beekeepers do not shade 

 their hives; others do. Why do they so do? 

 Do the ones that shade secure more honey?" 

 These are questions to which it is not easy 

 to give definite answers; but it is desirable 

 to know as much as jDossible about this 

 matter of shade. The temperature of a 

 colony of bees in the center of the brood- 

 nest, when the bees are rearing- brood, varies 

 from 92 to 98 degrees, depending upon the 

 size of the colony and the temperature of 

 the outside air. Until the temperatui'e in 

 the sun reaches this point, shade is of no 

 benefit — on the contrary, it is an injury, as 

 it deprives the bees and brood of the 

 warmth from the sun. When the tempera- 

 ture in the sun goes above 98 degrees, and 

 begins to climb up to 105,' 115, 125, to 140 

 degrees, then the bees are obliged to lower 

 instead of raise the temperature in the 

 hive. To do this they " cluster out," while 

 hundreds if not thousands stand at the en- 

 trance of the hive, and with their wings 

 create strong ventilating currents of air by 

 drawing the hot air from the hive, while 

 another set of bees on the inside cause the 

 ventilated current of those outside to circu- 

 late all around the combs. At times of ex- 

 treme heat ninety per cent of the bees leave 

 the combs of brood and honey so that these 

 ventilating currents have a better chance to 

 go between all of the combs more freely. 



At a beekeepers' picnic one hot summer 

 day we Avere told that bees would " hang 

 out " — that is, cluster upon the outside of 

 the hives, instead of working, if th^ir hives 

 were left unshaded during a hot day, and 

 that thej- were compelled thus to desert their 

 hives to save their combs from destruction. 

 This I think was rather " far fetched," for 

 in times of a good flow, of nectar, with 

 plenty of unoccujiied room in the supers, 

 I have never known bees to stop on account 

 of beat. With me, bees either cluster out 

 when very hot from lack of room for stor- 

 ing in the supers, or from a scarcity in the 

 fields. After the basswood flow is over, 

 during the first half of August, the hives 

 will be black Avith bees sometimes for a 

 week or more during hot weather; but as 

 soon as nectar begins to come in from buck- 

 wheat this clustering out is to be seen only 

 during the afternoon after the yield of 

 nectar is over. Weak colonies seldom make 



any demonstrations of discomfort fr/om 

 heat, even when left unshaded, while strong 

 colonies are puffing and blowing like a dog 

 after a rabbit-chase. Why is this? Does 

 it not look as if the strong colony were suf- 

 fering from the accumulation of its own 

 heat, that cannot escape fast enough? A 

 colony is a living heat-producing body, and 

 can be kept cool somewhat as we keep our 

 bodies cool by Avearing thin clothing, hav- 

 ing a free circulation of air all about us, 

 and by being protected from the sun's rays. 

 The color of the hive has a great bearing 

 upon the necessity for shade. Black or any 

 dark color absorbs heat, Avhile white re- 

 flects or repels it. In red, broAvn, or black 

 hives that stood in the sun, T have had 

 combs melt doAvn in spite of all the ventila- 

 tion the colony could give, while I have 

 never knoAvn them to melt in Avhite hi\es. 



Tlie" only time Avhen shade is needed is 

 from eight to four o'clock of our hottest 

 days; and some temporary, easily removed 

 shade is preferable to shade-trees. In fact, 

 a permanent shade like that furnished by 

 evergreens is an injur}' in the spring, rob- 

 bing the bees of the benefit to be derived 

 from the heat of the sun. After trying 

 alm.ost everything, I have settled on a light 

 shade made of %-inch lumber, 2% by 3 

 feet. This lumber is cleated at each side 

 Avith a piece one inch square. On one end 

 is nailed a 1 x 3-inch piece (on edge) as 

 long as the hive is Avide. When in use, this 

 1 X 3-ineh piece rests on the north edge of 

 the hi\^e coA'er, the opposite end of the 

 shade-board projecting beyond the south 

 edge of the hive. The three-inch piece at 

 the north is to raise one end of the shade- 

 board three inches from the top of the hive, 

 thus allowing a free circulation of air be- 

 tAveen board and cover. This shades the 

 hive Avhen shade is needed, in the middle 

 of the day, or from about eight to four. In 

 a Avindy location it is necessary to lay a 

 brick or stone upon this board to keep it 

 in place. Thus the bees will keep their 

 places in the sections during the middle of 

 the hottest days. With a board laid flat, 

 or no shade-board at all. the most of these 

 storing and comb-building bees Avill leaA'e 

 the sections during the middle of hot days. 

 For the comfort of the apiarist, it is Avell 

 to have a feAv scatteriijg' trees in the apiary; 

 but the branches should be trimmed high 

 enough so they Avill not be in the Avay. 

 Borodino, N. Y. G. M. Doolittle. 



