WHERE: Common Grounds Cafe, 525 E. 8th St., Port Angeles
WHEN: WHO: WHAT:
Saturday mornings, 8:30 am, Everyone welcome!
Discuss Beekeeping Topics
On March 16th, Rex provided a short focused presentation on a portion of Derek Mitchell’s new work comparing the different physical properties of natural tree cavities with those of man-made beehives. It’s not news that tree cavity spaces are preferable environments for honey bees because they are the “natural” choice. But for perhaps the first time in the history of beekeeping, by utilizing measurement techniques and analysis from a background in mechanical engineering (computational fluid dynamics), Dr. Mitchell, himself a beekeeper in the U.K., has shown how the internal heat reservoirs of various cavity space configurations are physically influenced by top and bottom entrances in the presence or absence of hive insulation.
Tom Seeley was recently quoted in a podcast saying, “I wish we would have known about these findings years ago.” Mitchell’s research is now showing us the physics of “how” the properties of tree cavities are superior to our thin walled man-made boxes. Indeed, beginning now, this information will be influencing how many of us will be managing our bees this year. To find out more, come join us. Check out Derek Mitchell’s work below::
Ratios of colony mass
Thermal efficiency
Top Ventilation
Please note our collection of background material on the internal hive atmosphere is available on the Resources link.
We’re all learning and the whole idea of a bee club is to have some fun. Please join us every Saturday (until further notice), for informal discussions about anything of bee related interest.
As the season progresses, we will be following coffee with apiary visits.