Multi-purpose test: hive body materials, paint colors, ventilators, exposure to the Sun and so on


  Different materials have a different ability to absorb, store and reradiate heat...
Four main factors influence on hives ability to absorb, store and reradiate heat:
- type of materials;
- surface condition;
- total surface area exposed to the Sun;
- an angle of Sun beams radiation.

General rules:
- to keep your hives in a cool condition , you have to use aluminum or gloss white/silver paints. Typical white paint absorbs just 8-10% of radiation.
- to keep your hives in a warm condition, you have to use dark color paints (flat sheen).

You can use industrial quality paint/stain, developed specially for beekeeping industry: (1 gallon of "Reflective Aluminum" - $27.95, 1 gallon of "Alkyd Gloss Oil" - $23.95, 1 gallon of Acrylic Latex (Flat) - 22.95. One gallon of paint will cover approximately 50 deep hive bodies with one coat.

View of the test yard
 

  My bee yard is under full sunlight from 8 am to 3 pm There is partial sunlight from 7:30 am to 8 am and from 3:30 pm to 5 pm.
For this test, all hives have 10 Piergo frames and are without bees.

Description of the hives (from the Left to the Right):
- #1 - wood hive (3/4" thickness) with an Inner Cover. Dark Color - Brick;
- #2 - wood hive (3/4" thickness) with an Inner Cover. Light Color - Of Wight;
- #3 - wood hive (3/4" thickness) with Bee Cool Ventilator. Dark Color - Green;
- #4 - wood hive (1 1/2" thickness) with THSCU (without wool for the summertime, all ventilation holes are open). Dark Color - Green;
- #5 - wood hive (3/4" thickness) with my own design Ventilator; Dark Color - Braun;

  Sensors are located in the center of the area above the frames.

  Test Preparation





Test Results
Date Time Sun/Shade Temperatures Hive #1 Hive #2 Hive #3 Hive #4 Hive #5
Apr 16 1 p.m. +42.7C/+23.5C +33.0C +30.0C +25.0C +25.4C +20.9C
  2 p.m. +45.0C/+24.1C +34.3C +31.1C +25.2C +28.1C +21.8
  3 p.m. +37.0C/+22.0C +33.1C +29.9C +26.5C +29.0C +21.7
  4 p.m. +35.0C/+20.0C +25.0C +24.2C +23.9C +27.0C +20.0
  5 p.m. +18.0C/+18.0C +21.0C +20.2C +22.2C +25.3C +23.5
  6 p.m. +15.0C/+15.0C +18.1C +15.6C +17.1C +22.0C +20.0
  7 p.m. +12.0C/+12.0C +15.0C +14.3C +15.4C +18.1C +16.0
  8 p.m. +9.5C/+9.5.C +12.9C +12.0C +12.8C +15.2C +13.3
  9 p.m. +7.1C/+7.1C +10.1C +9.9C +10.2C +12.5C +10.8
Apr 17 3 a.m. -1.8C/-1.8C -1.1C -1.1C -0.5C +0.2C +0.3C
  7 a.m. +1.4C/+1.4C -0.8C -0.9C -0.2C +0.5C +0.8
  8 a.m. +22.0C/+7.1C +4.5C +4.3C +4.2C +2.1C +5.0
  9 a.m. +29.2C/+14.1C +14.5C +14.1C +15.1C +8.2C +14.1
  10 a.m. +36.1C/+23.0C +24.6C +24.0C +25.5C +18.0C +21.9
  11 a.m. +38.7C/+25.2C +32.7C +30.7C +28.0C +25.8C +26.8
  12 p.m. +40.2C/+25.5C +36.3C +33.8C +28.5C +28.9C +26.7
  1 p.m. +42.5C/+25.8C +37.1C +34.7C +28.4C +29.6C +26.4
  2 p.m. +45.5C/+26.5C +37.9C +35.2C +28.8C +31.4C +26.5
  3 p.m. +41.5C/+24.7C +36.7C +34.3C +31.3 +33.1C +25.5
  4 p.m. +35.7C/+24.3C +26.7C +27.0C +27.0 +29.7C +25.4
Apr 18 10 a.m. +33C/+25.4C +28.1C +27.71C +27.7C +21.0C +25.0C
  11 a.m. +35.6C/+28.3C +33.8C +32.5C +29.3C +26.9C +28.7C
  12 p.m. +43.6C/+30.0C +38.1C +34.5C +31.9C +30.6C +31.2C
  1 p.m. +46.6C/+33.0C +40.3C +36.5C +33.2C +33.1C +31.7C
  2 p.m. +43.5C/+32.0C +40.5C +37.2C +33.2C +34.6C +31.2C
  3 p.m. +38.5C/+29.2C +39.9C +38.0C +33.7C +36.1C +30.0C
  4 p.m. +37.2C/+29.1C +31.1C +33.2C +31.3C +33.5C +28.2C
Apr 19 9 a.m. +36.7C/+22.9C +20.7C +20.71C +21.0C +15.1C +21.0C
  10 a.m. +38.0C/+27.0C +30.1C +28.1C +27.8C +23.4C +26.0C
  11 a.m. +39.8C/+29.4C +34.7C +31.9C +29.3C +27.9C +28.5C
  12 p.m. +40.1C/+29.6C +38.5C +34.9C +31.2C +31.2C +29.6C
  1 p.m. +42.0C/+30.7C +40.3C +36.1C +32.9C +34.0C +30.3C
  2 p.m. +45.0C/+31.5C +40.3C +37.1C +32.6C +34.9C +30.0C
  3 p.m. +38.0C/+28.3C +36.4C +36.5C +33.9C +35.5C +29.0C
  4 p.m. +32.9C/+27.9C +28.9C +31.5C +30.1C +32.2C +29.2C


  Note: Around 2:40 p.m. the fan of Bee Cool Ventilator stopped spinning, because sun has moved to the back side of the solar panel (Hive #3). But ventilator of Hive #5 continued to work, thanks to the backup battery.

Celsius to Fahrenheit calculator


Hive temperature monitoring (hive with bees)
More about hive ventilation



 
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