Weather conditions for flying

After about 10 days of scorching hot weather a cold front finally moved in. A nice summer thunderstorm at night, followed by two days of cloudy, cool, and windy weather is just what we needed. My bees however, have different feelings about that.

Honey bees will not venture out of the hive unless the temperature is above 13°C. The optimal flying temperature is 20 C. Yesterday the temp hovered around 19°C, which would theoretically be warm enough for flight. Temperature alone, is not the only factor to determine if the lil ladies will fly out. Sun intensity, wind, and rain strength also play a part. We had overcast skies and a steady breeze the last two days. Conditions for flight: unfavorable.

My mother-in-law called me yesterday evening saying she noticed that there was little to no flight activity at the hives. I went over there just to check, but it was just as I learned - bad flying weather.

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Hotham Family Apiary

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