Ayhan Ozdemir, President of the Aydin Bee Breeders Association, asked for some measures to be taken in order to prevent bees from being negatively affected by the heat due to the temperatures being above the seasonal norms.
Ozdemir has stated that “bees can be paralyzed in extreme heat and extreme cold” and that beehives should be kept in cool, well ventilated places.
Temperatures above 37 degrees are a problem for bees and recently we have seen the temperatures of over 50 degrees in Aydin province.
When bees get too hot, the adult bees and their developing baby’s (brood) can die. They shut down production – the queen stops laying and it’s all hands on deck to bring water into the hive.
The field bees cease nectar and pollen gathering and 100% of the bees switch to water collecting. This water is used to cool the hive by the bees acting as air conditioners and fanning cool air through the hive.
This takes a huge toll on their bodies and protein levels in the bees themselves decreases markedly.
