BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER > EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS
Electric heating of colonies during spring weather
Finman:
I took into use electric thermo cabels in hives last year. Now I have in my every 18 colony electric heating. 15 W. They are terrarium heaters. http://www.reptilica.de/shop/product_info.php/cPath/22_25_38/products_id/35/lang/english/index.htm
4 colony was heated during all winter with 7 W heater.
Also I have feeded my colonies with pollen+yeast+ soya flour 3 months. Colonies are now in very good condition. Willows start blooming in Finland about first of May (1.5.). I started feeding about 15.3.
During summer a little one box colony makes 3 times more larvas than without heating.
Does any have experience from heating colonies?
Here you can see our weather. Now +7C and rain http://www.tiehallinto.fi/alk/frames/kelikamerat-frame.html
Robo:
Finman,
How do you have the cables installed in the hive?
Anonymous:
--- Quote from: Robo ---Finman,
How do you have the cables installed in the hive?
--- End quote ---
It is on the floor of the nest. 3-4 m long cable. Queen likes to go down lay eggs to the bottom box. Very easy to use. Water resistant.
Anonymous:
I heated a hive all winter and a new package in the spring with a 15w light bulb under the hive. I had some problems with overheating the hive and some bees would leave the hive when it was too cold. The hive was very strong in the spring and I split it 3 ways. The package grew much faster also. The 7 watt cables would work better. Heating can work well, especially where it is very cold in the winters. I plan on heating several again this winter.
Anonymous:
--- Quote from: Anonymous ---I heated a hive all winter and a new package in the spring with a 15w light bulb under the hive. I had some problems with overheating the hive and some bees would leave the hive when it was too cold. .
--- End quote ---
I do not keep heating under winter ball. It disperses the ball.
After "clean upp flight" ,as we say, I put heating cable into nest.
I had 2 frame colony and I put half a cable in the empty part of superb. It was really tiny. But now it has 2 superbs. It overwintered very well.
In Hungary they use 3W heaters during winter. So I have heard. When I tried 3 W, it was no use.
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