# What is the Minimum Temperature that is Safe to Open a Hive?



## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

If you're just pulling a honey super then just about any temp 50 and above would be OK. Try to knock any bees directly back into the hive opposed to on the ground. Make sure to leave them plenty for the winter.


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## MountainCamp (Apr 12, 2002)

You can pull supers without a problem anytime they flying -- 50's and 60's are not a problem.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Believe it or not, I have harvested plenty of honey w/ 6 inches of snow on the ground. Often when it is that cold the bees are in cluster below the honey supers. Often not too. 

I've seen bees in between the brood super and the honey super w/ a queen excluder between these supers too. In that case we transfered frames, one at a time, from the super on the hive to another super, brushing or shaking the bees off, as we worked.

You may have to be careful not to break the cluster, but generally speaking the above practice won't hurt the bees. They may loose some warmth off of the cluster, while the hive is open, but they will recover without any apparent harm.

Bees are much more flexible than we give them credit for. And any hard and fast rules are there for the breaking.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I figure if you don't break cluster you can always take a peak inside. I wouldn't never break up clustering bees, which would be about 50 F and below.


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## BigDaddyDS (Aug 28, 2007)

*Temperature Chart*

Two things you want to keep in mind:
1) Don't break up the cluster, which will form around 50-degrees F.
2) Don't chill the brood. (Work quickly, in other words. Preferably on a calm day with no wind.)

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On a related note, going through my papers, I found this chart which I haven't taken the time to either prove or disprove. So, _caveat emptor_ and all that good stuff:

91 to 97-degrees F. - Bees can secrete wax.
93 to 94-degrees F. - Nest temperature (with eggs and young bees).
85-degrees - Temperature of broodless winter cluster.
68-degrees - Queen does not fly.
61-degrees - Drones cannot fly.
57-degrees - Cluster forms.
50-degrees - Brood rearing stops. Workers cannot fly.
42-degrees - Bees cannot move. (Muscles not warm enough.)
40-degrees - Bees will die if alone.
-40 degrees - The bee cluster cannot compensate and will die.

Thoughts?
DS


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## MountainCamp (Apr 12, 2002)

>50-degrees - Brood rearing stops. Workers cannot fly

Brood rearing takes place in winter with temperature well below freezing.

If brood rearing stopped when temps hit a low of 50F and did not resume till they were above 50F, I would have a very very short season.

Workers can and do fly in temps in the upper 40's.


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## RAlex (Aug 18, 2001)

I took honey off a yard two days ago. The high forcast for the day was 56 . It was warm enough for them to fly but as I took it off at aprox 11:00 there was few bees in the honey supers. As I removed supers I also replace the inner cover to help keep the heat and bees in the hive. I used no smoke and blew out what few bees that were in the supers as I loaded them into the truck.As compared to the yard I harvested two weeks ago the bees were so thick trying to rob out the supers I couldnt keep them out with the blower going constantly. I prefer cooler temps to harvest the honey...Rick


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## Jim Fischer (Jan 5, 2001)

Lots of people pull honey in the snow, and not due to some freak
snowstorm either. Beekeeping is a morass of missed opportunities
and rushed last-minute attempts to scramble back ahead of the
game.

But the chill makes your task is easy.
Wait until evening. 
Approach hive, smoke, remove cover(s).
If bees are present in the super(s) at all, replace cover, come
back later when colder, even if flashlights are required.

Three factors here work in your favor:

1) "Loose Clustering" at night when it gets chilly

2) The impossibility of a cluster forming in a honey super that
has little or no empty comb into which bees can crawl

3) The dislike bees have for forming a cluster between full frames
of honey. 

So, the bees will be very likely to move down below the supers at night,
and form a loose cluster in the brood boxes below, so the supers can be 
lifted off without any trouble or disruption near or at dusk.

Any bees in the supers can overnight in a dark room in the supers,
and can fly out the door back to the hive in the morning.


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## WVbeekeeper (Jun 4, 2007)

>I've seen bees in between the brood super and the honey super w/ a queen excluder between these supers too.

if you use one, it's wise not to leave a queen excluder on a hive in the winter. the cluster can move to the other side of it and leave the queen behind to freeze. also one may forget to take it off or have something happen to them where they are not able to take it off.


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## John Gesner (Dec 17, 2005)

Jim Fischer said:


> Beekeeping is a morass of missed opportunities
> and rushed last-minute attempts to scramble back ahead of the
> game.


That has to be one of the most profound things I've ever read here. Jim, that just might have to show up in my signature sometime, if you don't mind...


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## BigDaddyDS (Aug 28, 2007)

Jim Fischer said:


> Beekeeping is a morass of missed opportunities
> and rushed last-minute attempts to scramble back ahead of the
> game.


Even more proof that beekeeping is VERY much like farming!

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Oh, by the way, Mountaincamp:
I didn't say that the temperature chart was all that accurate. YOUR mileage may vary. My personal observation of MY bees has shown that they'll work in a light rain, even though it's commonly believed that bees don't fly in the rain at all. (My personal experience has also shown that the little nasties will fly and attack at night too! But, that's another story!)

The list was provided just to be used as a "rough guide"; not as gospel. 

BDDS


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

WVbeekeeper said:


> >I've seen bees in between the brood super and the honey super w/ a queen excluder between these supers too.
> 
> if you use one, it's wise not to leave a queen excluder on a hive in the winter. the cluster can move to the other side of it and leave the queen behind to freeze. also one may forget to take it off or have something happen to them where they are not able to take it off.


This is quite true, of course, but I was refering to taking honey off of hives in Northern NY in November, before moving thyem south for the winter. Which I didn't make clear. I agree that if you use excluders they should be removed before clustering occurs.


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