Warming Beehives with Solar Energy Stored in Water

Year 2022, Volume: 9 Issue: 3, 286 - 294, 31.10.2022

Mohamed Al-rajhi

https://doi.org/10.19159/tutad.1126564

Abstract

This study presents the possibility of utilizing a passive solar system in sunny places, which collects solar energy by using a polyethylene sheet to trap the long-wave thermal radiation and store it in water for warming the internal environment of beehives and its effect on nest temperatures, honey area, pollen area, sealed brood area, and the number of occupied frames. A total of six Langstroth hives containing honeybee colonies of equal strength from the species of hybrid Carniolan are divided into two groups as follows: a control group (untreated hive), and modified beehives that have been treated with the solar energy storage system. The solar energy storage system consists of an insulated wooden drawer located under the beehive's bottom board, containing sealed water bags, and is covered with a polyethylene sheet. Solar energy stored in water is used to reduce the variation of inside air temperatures between daylight and nighttime. The highest values of the honey area, pollen area, sealed brood area, and the number of occupied frames (916 cm2, 842 cm2, 3688 cm2, and 9 frames, respectively) were obtained for the modified beehives at the end of March, while the lowest values (98 cm2, 219 cm2, 911 cm2, and 3 frames, respectively) were recorded for the control groups of beehives at the middle of January. In modified beehives treated with a solar energy storage system, there was a significant rise in hive temperature, honey area, pollen area, sealed brood area, and bee population. So, it is recommended to use the new modification for warming beehives.

Keywords

Honeybee colonies, Warming, Solar energy, modification, warming, solar energy

References

• Altun, A.A., 2012. Remote control of the temperature- humidity and climate in the beehives with solar-powered thermoelectric system. Journal of Control Engineering and Applied Informatics, 14(1): 93-99.
• Becher, M.A., Hildenbrandt, H., Hemelrijk, C.K., Moritz, R.F.A., 2010. Brood temperature, task division and colony survival in honeybees: A model. Ecological Modelling, 221(5): 769-776.
• Ben-Amor, H., Salhi, M., Ben-Zid, A., Verlodt, H., 1990. First results of heating greenhouses by a passive solar system in Gafsa (south-west of Tunisia). Acta Horticultural, 263: 131-138.
• Borges, F.V.B., Blochtein, B., 2006. Variação Sazonal das condições internas de colônias de Melipona marginata obscurior Moure, no Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, 23(3): 711-715.
• Braga, A.R., Furtado, L., Bezerra, A.D., Freitas, B., Cazier, J., Gomes, D.G., 2019. Applying the long-termmemory algorithm to forecast the rmoregulation capacity loss in honeybee colonies. In: CSBC 2019-10 Workshop de Computação Aplicadaà Gestãodo Meio Ambientee Recursos Naturais (WCAMA), pp. 1-14.
• Butler, N.J., 1985. A Home Greenhouse-Dream or Nightmare? MSU Cooperative Extension Service. (Accessed at: www.hobby-greenhouse.com/UMreport.htm.).
• Detroy, B.F., Erickson, E.H., Diehnelt, K., 1982. Plastic hive covers for outdoor wintering of honeybees. American Bee Journal, 122(8): 583-587.
• Dodoloğlu, A., Genç, F., 2002. Some physiological characteristics of Caucasian and Anatolian Honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) races and their crossbreeds. Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, 26(4): 715-722. (In Turkish).
• Duffie, J.A., Beckman, W.A., 1980. Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes. John Wiley and Sons, New York.
• Edwards-Murphy, F., Magno, M., Whelan, P.M., O'Halloran, J., Popovici, E.M., 2016. b+WSN: Smart beehive with preliminary decision tree analysis for agriculture and honey bee health monitoring. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 124: 211-219.
• El-Sheikh, F.M., Eissa, A.A., Al-Rajhi, M.A., 2021. Effect of using a modified warming system on activities and productivity of honey bees. International Journal of Advance Study and Research Work (2581-5997), 4(6): 1-10.
• Engels, W., Rosenkranz, P., Engels, E., 1995. Thermoregulation in the nest of the Neotropical Stingless bee Scaptotrigona postiça and a hypothesis on the evolution of temperature homeostasis in highly Eusocial bees. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment, 30(4): 193-205.
• Erdogan, Y., Dodologlu, A., Emsen, B., 2009. Some physiological characteristics of honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) housed in heated, fan wooden and insulated beehives. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 8(8): 1516-1519.
• Genc, F., Dulger, C., Kutluca, S., Dodologlu, A., 1999. Comparison of some behavioural characteristics of Caucasian, Central Anatolia and Erzurum honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) genotypes in the conditions of Erzurum. Turkish Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, 23(4): 651-656.
• Hamdan, M.A., 1998. Investigation of an inexpensive solar collector storage system. Energy Conversion and Management, 39(5-6): 415-420.
• Hauser, H., Lensky, Y., 1994. The effect of the age of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) queen on worker population, swarming and honey yields in a subtropical climate. Apidologie, 25: 566-578.
• Hoopingarner, R.H., Waller, G.D., 1992. Crop pollination. In: J.M. Graham (Ed.), The Hive and the Honeybee, Dadant & Sons, Hamilton, IL., pp. 1043-1082.
• Joshi, N.C., Joshi, P.C., 2010. Foraging behaviour of Apis spp. on apple flowers in a subtropical environment. New York Science Journal, 3(3): 71-76.
• Kleinhenz, M., Bujok, B., Fuchs, S., Tautz, J., 2003. Hot bees in empty broodnest cells: heating from within. Journal of Experimental Biology, 206(23): 4217-4231.
• Morse, R., 1999. Wintering basics for northern beekeepers. Bee Culture, 127: 24-26.
• Nylin, S., Gotthard, K., 1998. Plasticity in life-history traits. Annual Review Entomology, 43(1): 63-83.
• Ojeleye, B., 1999. Foundation of Beekeeping in the Tropics. CEBRAD Press Ibadan Nigeria.
• Paul, G.A., 1979. Use of passive solar energy for overwintering honeybees (Apis mellifera, equipment). American Bee Journal, 119(10): 724-729.
• Rice, L.A., 2013. Wireless data acquisition for apiology applications. Master’s thesis, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.
• Stabentheiner, A., Pressl, H., Papst, T., Hrassnigg, N., Crailsheim, K., 2003. Endothermic heat production in honeybee winter clusters. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 206(2): 353-358.
• Tautz, J., Maier, S., Groh, C., Rossler, W., Brockmann, A., 2003. Behavioral performance in adult honey bees is influenced by the temperature experienced during their pupal development. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 100(12): 7343-7347.
• Velthuis, H.H.W., Koedam, D., Imperatriz-Fonseca, V.L., 2000. The rate of brood cell production in the stingless bee Melipona bicolor fluctuates with nest box temperature. Revista de Etologia, 2(1): 141-145.
• Vogt, F.D., 1986. Thermoregulation in bumblebee colonies. I. Thermoregulatory versus brood maintenance behaviours during acute changes in ambient temperature. Physiological Zoology, 59(1): 55-59.
• Vollet-Neto, A., Menezes, C., Imperatriz-Fonseca, V.L., 2011. Brood production increases when artificial heating is provided to colonies of stingless bees. Journal of Apicultural Research, 50(3): 242-247.
• Yahia, A.M., 2006. Development and improvement of passive solar energy system for plastic greenhouse. Master thesis, Mansoura University, Egypt.
• Zacepins, A., Stalidzans, E., 2012. Architecture of automatized control system for honeybee indoor wintering process monitoring and control. In: Proceedings of 13th International Carpathian Control Conference, 28-31 May, High Tatras, Slovakia, pp. 772-775.