Sunlight hours in your area.

[Lesgold]

Hi folks,

A comment made by a couple of members recently about bees working for longer hours in areas such as Canada got me thinking. How many hours of sunlight do you all get in your particular region? In my area of Australia, I get over 15 hours of sunlight during the peak summer periods and just under 10 hours in the middle of winter. People who live to the south of me get longer sunshine hours in summer and shorter days during the cold months. The reverse happens in the northern hemisphere. Would love to hear more about your climate as it then helps to clarify why certain beekeeping methods and procedures need to be followed to allow bees to thrive.

Cheers

Les

[Ben Framed]

Les I also read from that 'interesting' thread. "How many months a year do your Bees Fly?". 
TheHoneyPumps' description of long hours at his location in the Far North of Canada, coinciding with his bees working during that time of long days is remarkable considering how long and hard his bees work each day.

According to the experts, I get 14 hours and 21 minuted during the peak at my location and the shortest is 9 hours and 38 minutes.

Phillip

[Lesgold]

That?s almost the same as what I get. I am almost. 36 degrees south of the equator. My guess is that you would be about the same but north of the equator.

[Ben Framed]

Thats right Les Im 35 degrees N.

Phillip

[Jim134]

Where I am located the time never changes much more than an 1&1/2 hours between  Sunrise and sunset.  The latitude is14.5995 N


               BEE  HAPPY  Jim134. 😊

[Ben Framed]

That means your weather is basically the same year round Jim? Which gives you a year round nectar flow?

Phillip

[Michael Bush]

Summer solstice in Omaha is 15hr 9mn from sunrise to sunset.
Winter solstice in Omaha is 9hr 11m from sunrise to sunset.
About 6 hours difference.
The days are getting really short now.  10hr 21mn today.  Almost five hours shorter than 4 months ago.

[Lesgold]

And it?s really amazing that the bees know. Does anyone know what brand of wrist watch that they wear?

[Jim134]

That means your weather is basically the same year round Jim? Which gives you a year round nectar flow?

Phillip

.
        The Philippines has a wet season and a dry season. This is what control the nectar flow. The wet season is. September to the  Middle of February. at the present time.. It is raining about 5 days out of 7. Most of them it rains at night time for about 2 to 3 hours.  Yes there are a few plants and trees around during dry season. 


           BEE HAPPY  Jim134  😊

[Ben Framed]

.   The Philippines has a wet season and a dry season. This is what control the nectar flow. The wet season is. September to the  Middle of February. at the present time.. It is raining about 5 days out of 7. Most of them it rains at night time for about 2 to 3 hours.  Yes there are a few plants and trees around during dry season. 


           BEE HAPPY  Jim134  😊

Jim I did not consider your wet season, Thanks

Phillip

[Ben Framed]

And it?s really amazing that the bees know. Does anyone know what brand of wrist watch that they wear?

Apis Linnaeus.   

Phillip

[Acebird]

The Philippines has a wet season and a dry season.

So does Florida and many other states.

That means your weather is basically the same year round Jim? Which gives you a year round nectar flow?

I don't believe there is such a thing otherwise why would bees horde honey.

[Ben Framed]

Ben Framed
That means your weather is basically the same year round Jim? Which gives you a year round nectar flow?

Acebird
I don't believe there is such a thing otherwise why would bees horde honey.

Perhaps you might consider Hawaii. Also knows as, aka Paradise.
Being Jim 134 is from the Philippines, I ask the question with the Hawaiian topical paradise climate in mind... I have never visited but from what I have read even in Hawaii rainy season its not too bad. Of course location even in Hawaii will play a part. Some areas of Hawaii receive more rain than others.

Is There A Rainy Season In Hawaii? - Travel To Paradise.
https://traveltoparadise.com Hawaii Travel Blog
"Even Hawaii's "rainy season" isn't too much rainier than the rest ...
"Some parts of our islands get a lot more precipitation than other parts. For example, the south shore of Maui tends to get less rain than the north shore of Kauai.

[The15thMember]

I don't believe there is such a thing otherwise why would bees horde honey.

Imported European honey bees may still horde honey "for winter" in a warmer climate, since they aren't adapted fully to the climate.  Native species probably would not.

I'm just north of Phillip, so my daylight times are basically identical to his.   

[Ben Framed]

I don't believe there is such a thing otherwise why would bees horde honey.

Imported European honey bees may still horde honey "for winter" in a warmer climate, since they aren't adapted fully to the climate.  Native species probably would not.

I'm just north of Phillip, so my daylight times are basically identical to his.   

Ace, I feel sure you already know this. I am adding some thoughts for the benefit of newer beekeepers. Ive heard it said that a healthy bee colony 'will' do two basic things; 'Produce honey' and 'multiply'. When they 'horde' enough honey, filling their storage area, to the point of overflowing honey into the brood area in the wild, or in the home 'provided for them by the beekeeper; With proper climate and resources (nectar and pollen) they 'will' multiply (swarm). Nature has its way. So it is the way of the Honey Bee....

This is one reason the beekeeper 'manages' his or her hives, to make sure the colony has plenty of space for more honey if needed, 'hopefully' to help retard the tendency of swarming while seeking more honey production, (a higher honey yield), ...

As far as there being 'such a place' where the climate is good for gathering nectar thus producing honey year round, I will further add a little information since my last post considering the State of Hawaii.. Hawaii has a time difference of 2 1/2 hours in the longest and shortest day. 
From: Climate of Hawai`i - National Weather Service
"Hawaii's longest and shortest days are about 13 1/2 hours and 11 hours."

Phillip

Our Farm - Paradise Meadows
https://www.paradisemeadows.com
Paradise Meadows is home to ~30 bee hives. In Hawaii, we have flowers blooming year round, and our bees produce honey in every season. Bees are opportunity ...

[Jim134]

    There also is another place.. in the USA.. That has a honeyflow of some sort year round.. You will find this You will find this... In the state of Georgia.. Where most of the package bees come from for the East Coast of the USA..


             BEE  HAPPY  Jim134  😊

[Acebird]

The largest amount of honey comes from areas that have strong flows and winter dearths not warm climates and vegetation all year.

[Ben Framed]

The largest amount of honey comes from areas that have strong flows and winter dearths not warm climates and vegetation all year.

Yes as demonstrated recently by TheHoneyPump who is from the far North of Canada.
For those who might have missed it, see the Topic: "How many months a year do your Bees Fly?"

Phillip

[TheHoneyPump]

June 21 - 21 hours of daylight
December 21 - 6 hours of daylight
(Includes twilights)

[BeeMaster2]

Ace,
Not always. When Florida enacted the Cottage industry laws that allowed honey and certain home made food products to be sold directly to customers, they limited it to $16,000 dollars a year. One guy in Tampa Florida was concerned about his honey business. He had only four hives but he made over 400 pounds of honey per hive per year. He was selling it at flee markets for $10 per pound and sold every bit of it. That?s over the $16,000 dollar limit. The bee inspector just shook his head and said don?t worry about it. He was probably the only beekeeper in Florida who could make that much honey on 4 hives.
Jim Altmiller

[yes2matt]

And it?s really amazing that the bees know. Does anyone know what brand of wrist watch that they wear?

They know the tiniest changes, too. Colony attitude a couple weeks after winter solstice is a complete change from a couple weeks before, even though the day length is the same, the direction of the tiny change is opposite, and they are stimulated.   

Me too, incidentally. I look in my history of purchases at the garden seed catalog and it's always two or three weeks after solstice.

[Acebird]

Me too, incidentally. I look in my history of purchases at the garden seed catalog and it's always two or three weeks after solstice.

In southern FL it is different because you plant different things through out the year.