{"id":12424,"title":"Do Bees Fly in All Weathers?","description":"Has anyone else noticed that on cloudy, overcast days or if it is pouring with rain, all the bees disappear?","content":"

Has anyone else noticed that on cloudy, overcast days or if it is pouring with rain, all the bees disappear?<\/strong><\/h3>

Yet, when the sun comes out, they appear from nowhere and get to work.<\/p>

This got us thinking, how does the weather impact a bee's ability to forage and fly, and what weather does it prefer.\"\"
There is an old folklore saying that goes:<\/p>

\"When bees to distance wing their flight; Days are warm and skies are bright; But when their flight ends near their home; Stormy weather is sure to come.\"<\/strong><\/p>

Which, as it turns out, has a ring of truth to it. Bees are very sensitive to changes in the weather, that is, changes in temperature, humidity, air pressure and wind direction and they adapt their behaviour accordingly. It would seem they are pretty good at weather forecasting too. Here's a look at the not so humble honey bee.<\/p>

On Cloudy Days<\/strong><\/h3>

Bees navigate largely by the sun and without it they are less able to find their way around, and so stay close to the hive. On cloudy days, they perform their bee dance and then scientists believe they use their memories to orientate to nearby nectar sources, instead of relying on the sun.<\/p>

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<\/p>

On Rainy Days<\/strong><\/h3>

It's not impossible to see bees flying when it is raining, but whether they will fly in the rain all comes down to the intensity of the rainfall. A light drizzle might not stop them, but a heavy downpour will. Not only will any dark clouds be hiding the sun and restricting a honey bee's super navigational skills but there is another more practical reason you won't find bees flying in the rain.<\/p>

Raindrops, especially large drops vs a bee's wings, well you know that is unlikely to end well. The large drops would literally knock them out of the sky. Even flying in light rain would use up extra energy. So for their own protection they know to stay tucked up in the hive until the sun comes out again. Also, the nectar itself is probably not that abundant in a heavy storm, so that's another reason they probably don't to bother, as there is not a lot of profit in it for them.<\/p>

Research has also taken this one step further and found that bees can predict the weather and not just react to it. They found that in the days before a bad storm, foraging activity increased, and they worked longer into the evening. Again it seems they are preparing for the a shortage of food and so work harder.<\/p>

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Too Hot and Too Cold<\/strong><\/h3>

Honey bees aren't good with extreme temperatures, unless they have adapted to them of course. If it does get too hot or too cold, then all the bees do their best to cool or heat the inside of the hive. As for flying and foraging, according to one study, bees really don't like to fly at or below 10\u00b0C. Their preferred temperature starts around 16\u00b0C and then activity increases up to about 37\u00b0C. After that it is a bit too hot for them and they will return to the hive to cool down.<\/p>

Angry Bee or Friendly Bee<\/strong><\/h3>

As humans, we know the weather can impact how we feel and act and the same goes for bees. A beekeeper will tell you, you need to be very careful with hive bees if it is cloudy, raining or too hot. In fact, it is best to leave them well alone, as they are known to become more defensive in the hive. It's as if they know that they need to protect their food stores just in case the inclement or stifling weather goes on for a bit and they don't take kindly to anyone interfering with it.<\/p>

\"\"

So, next time there is a bad storm, just think, your local honey bee population probably knew about it before you did and have been working hard, stocking up to see them through!<\/p>

Winne & Wellie x<\/p>

(Research paper: \u201cThe Effects of Meteorological Factors on Defensive Behaviour of Honey Bees<\/a><\/strong>\u201d, published in the\u00a0International Journal of Biometeorology<\/em>)<\/p>




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