# Bee Run For Observation hive



## Grandpa Jim (Apr 20, 2007)

Last year I ask if anyone had tried this for a an observation hive at a fair or show that is set up for a week or so. Well I finially tried it. 

The bees have been set up this way since Christmas (Sunday I put them in their normal window so they could go outside...temp was 65). During the day a few (maybe 50 or so at the most) will come out into the tank and fly around. In the evening they all go back into the hive. After a few days there were about 50 dead bees on the bottom of the tank, I believe most of the dead were brought out of the hive. The hive seems to go about it's business inside without the normal "running around with trash" that seems to happen with a closed up observation hive.

Now it just needs a little dressing up!

Jim


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## Oldbee (Sep 25, 2006)

That is REALLY neat! I never thought of that. For a demonstration hive you could have cut flowers that the bees really like or plants in a pot. That is a BIG aquarium, right? I wonder if a screened box would work, or if the bees would be distracted too much with that.

Also, I wonder what the 'waggle dance' would look like.


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## mike haney (Feb 9, 2007)

wonder why this works but many say if you put a hive in a greenhouse the bees will just beat against the glass till they die? perhaps the size? way cool anyway. thanks!


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## Bizzybee (Jan 29, 2006)

That's a hoot grandpa! Me and my sometimes narrow mindedness wouldn't have thought you could get that to work. That's cool you defied the norms and got it to fly!! There's got to be a zillion good reasons why that could be helpful to an OH. Could mean the difference between wintering and not. You may have gotten something started there!


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## Grandpa Jim (Apr 20, 2007)

The setup at the Farm Show. Everything was screwed to the table so it would be kid safe.









Here is an update on the "Bee Run". It has been setup now for almost a month and is still doing well. Last Sat brood began to hatch. The queen has laid about 1/2 of a deep frame on both sides and continues to lay in cells as the become available. 

They have been in my basement (temp 60 to 65) and were outside only on one day back after Christmas. They also made a trip to the PA Farm Show for one week. The day I was there with them at the show, about 3pm, they became very active. Maybe half the bees came out into the run and clustered around the entrance to the hive. About an hour later they slowly moved back into the hive (my guess is it was break time). They are still calm and working inside the hive like normal.

After the Farm Show I blew maybe 30 dead bees out that were on the bottom. I have feed them several pounds of syrup using a meat injecting needle (available at the grocery store) running the syrup into the empty cells along the outside. They do not seem to take much sryup from the feeding bottle on the end??? 

Will keep it going as long as it is working because it is still too cold in my garage where they were back in Dec.

Jim


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

That's really neat. Thanks for showing us. Do you mind if I steal your idea for our State Fair Exhibit?


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## HAB (May 17, 2008)

Great Job!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Grandpa Jim (Apr 20, 2007)

Hey sqkcrk, help yourself. The only thing that would have made it more kid friendly would be to double screen the opening. There were no problems but I guess with the single screen a bee could sting though it. 

Jim


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## Hobie (Jun 1, 2006)

mike haney said:


> wonder why this works but many say if you put a hive in a greenhouse the bees will just beat against the glass till they die?


Maybe because, indoors, they can not see the sun? Just guessing.


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## Allen Dick (Jan 10, 2009)

mike haney said:


> wonder why this works but many say if you put a hive in a greenhouse the bees will just beat against the glass till they die? perhaps the size? way cool anyway. thanks!


They tend to do that initially, but can learn over time. It seems that some hives adapt better than others.

Bees are used in greenhouses for cucumber and other pollination -- at least they were 30 years ago -- but it is hard on them. The pesticides, lack of variety in pollen and the navigation difficulties run them down over time.


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