Q2. What material are the hive boxes made from to make it more insulated than standard hives?

Boxes are made from 3 segments: wooden outer part made of high-quality wood (very important because some wood can be damaged if the temperature during treatment went over 40°C); special thermo-foils reflecting temperature back to the inner parts of the hive; inner segment used for preventing the bees of getting into contact with foils.

Q3. What do the windows do?  Help warm it up generally? To allow one to look in?  But bees like dark space?

It is not only a window made of glass. It is more complicated device containing glasses, coatings, insulation and active layer. It is not possible to see inside and there is no light entering the hive this way, so it is dark inside as in classical hives. They are used to slightly help with thermal support of the colony and also help during the thermotherapy, when the main source of heat is activated. Main source is thermosolar ceiling placed under the outer cover (roof). However, it is usually used only two times per year. Windows are used permanently with the exception of very hot summer days (above 35°C) when they can be shaded. They help during the winter, with early spring development of the colony and it thermally support the brood, part of honey used for heating the brood is saved (there is significantly higher honey yield, especially in the spring). Most importantly it limits the reproduction of the mites, because only slightly higher temperature above normal brood rearing temperature damage the mites (36 – 38°C for a long time is already a problem for Varroa). Many of the beekeepers who have tested the hive have zero mites fall after the thermosolar treatment at the end of summer or in the beginning of autumn. It was caused by the long term thermal support by the windows, because mites have been already eliminated even before thermosolar treatment itself (but it does not happen in all cases, so the thermosolar treatment and the device for it is necessary). Long term thermal support with slightly higher brood temperatures damaged them and prevent their reproduction. It also helps the colony, according to our experience and also experience of the beekeepers, colonies in Thermosolar hives are usually strongest in the apiary.

Q4. I use 14×12 nationals.  Is your brood box available in this size?

Thermosolar Hive can be manufactured in any dimension, however, we recommend that the brood box is higher than 20 cm. So 14×12 is ideal.

Q5. Is your hive compatible with racks of Ross Rounds?

We haven’t got experience with Ross Rounds. But as I see, they are used in the honey boxes, so there should be no problem with it.

Q6. Can I just put regular supers on top of the hives or my Ross Round racks?

Thermosolar hive is special construction, there are many parts that are necessary and there is also insulation. It is therefore compatible with the frames, but not with supers of regular hive. So you can’t put classical super on the thermosolar super because their dimensions are different. We provide Thermosolar hive with 3 supers. They are used as brood and honey supers. You can use your Ross Round racks without any problems in the thermosolar super used as the honey super.

Q7. This treatment cannot be started until external temperatures are 20C.  In the UK, most beekeepers would have a super on by this point, even with a 14×12 brood box. I assume you would need to shake the bees off the super and then start the treatment?

There are two treatments in the spring, which are optional and two treatments at the end of summer, which are important, because you need to protect long living winter bees. So only the treatment in the late summer (usually August or beginning of September) is necessary. I hope you have at this time day high temperatures over 20C. This does not mean that you need to wait until outside temperature reaches 20C to start treatment, but you can start in the morning if you know that temperature around noon will be higher than 20C. Treatment is done at the time when no honey supers are mounted and the season is over, you don’t need to move bees from honeys super to the brood box. It is also possible to close the hive entrance and this measure is often done in the early spring when outer temperatures are not high enough. However, this measure is not ideal for beginners, it is better to start with an easy thermotherapy.

Q8. What temperature kills small hive beetle?  Maybe 40-47C is enough to kill this parasite too?

I am not sure about small hive beetle. I don’t know any studies or experience with its elimination by heat. Also we don’t have this pest in our country, so our experience is limited only on the literature.

Q9. Do these temperatures kill other parasites?

We are sure that it helps on Nosema Apis problem, thermotherapy is one of its solutions.

Q10. When is the university paper coming out?  Which university?

It is Palacky University in cooperation with University of South Bohemia. We are not sure about the exact date.  They have told us about the results (which are good) and that the article is finished and now in the review phase. It might be a few months.

Q11. Can one use a normal queen excluder and clearer boards with your hive?

Yes, queen excluders are no problem, the clearer boards are the same. You just need the right dimensions and you can apply it normally.

Q12. I have read and emailed you the research paper that says brood can be killed above 40C. What is your evidence that this is not the case?

I have read the same article you emailed me some time ago and have a knowledge of other similar themes. In the paper you sent, strong and long-term deviations from the normal brood rearing temperatures are what is damaging the brood. In the paper, the brood was at the higher temperature for 24 hours per day, day-by-day of its rearing. The Thermosolar Hive thermally supports the colony and this can raise the temperature to 36-38ºC on hot, sunny summer days. However, this temperature is maintained for only a few hours per day, usually about 2 to 5 hours. And not every day – it can be cloudy or outside temperatures can be lower to achieve this. So in normal summer in England, it can be in average 2 or 3 days per week, so lets say approximately 4 to 15 hours per week. This is a huge difference if compared with 168 hours per week in laboratory. This slightly higher brood temperature a few times per week damage the varroa mites and disable their reproduction. That is why there are no mites at the end of summer in most of the hives even without the 2 hour thermotherapy treatments at 40-47C. If we talk only about the thermotherapy treatments, it is done only 2 (or optionally 4) times per year and higher temperatures are maintained only for few hours. Another important point during thermotherapy is humidity. Humidity is much lower than normal. It is the same effect as if you go to sauna. There can be temperatures even higher than 100ºC and you can enjoy it. Humidity is the key, because there is a very low humidity in the sauna. If the humidity would be high, you can’t survive 100ºC. It is the same with our thermotherapy: short term heating with low humidity is without problem. Young house bees stay on the brood at temperatures between 40-47ºC, because they don’t have hardened cuticle and can cool themselves as we do in sauna. The rest of the bees with hardened cuticle is in lower parts of the hive with lower temperatures. However, practice is the most important for us. We and beekeepers who use the hive know that the brood is not damaged and the bees in Thermosolar hives are very strong and have higher honey yields. This is probably the best answer from practice. If the hive would damage the brood, the opposite would be true.

Q13. And what about hot countries and states?  Is the Thermosolar Hive relevant to them?

States like Texas are completely ok. If there are very hot sunny days over 35C, it is better to shade the windows. Hive is insulated, so is better suited against hot weather than classical hives (heat does not enter the hive thanks to insulation). Only the windows (oriented South-South-East) can make the difference. In the summer they work best in the morning until the noon. Around 12:00 sun is high on the sky and only small part of sunrays shine on the windows. In the afternoon this situation deepens even more – sun goes slowly down, but it moves to the west, so energy from the sunshine is minimal. Therefore sunny days with temperatures around 30C are ok. And when there are very hot days reaching 40C, beekeeper needs to shade the windows. It is easier for bees to cool down this hive than if it was a classical thin-walled hive.

In Conversation With Professor Francis Ratnieks, University of Sussex

I have been in email conversation with Professor Ratnieks, Labatory of Apiculture & Social Insects (LASI), leading expert on honeybees.

He needs to see the published University research and evidence (mentioned above) before being more convinced by this new hive.  And this will not be available until later in 2016.

He pointed me to a 2010 review “Biology and control of Varroa destructor” [link opens the PDF] by Peter Rosenkranz, Pia Aumeier & Bettina Ziegelmann and particularly to Table 2 where it says “… application of heat to isolated brood combs or whole colonies … is effective (especially on brood mites in treated brood combs) but costly on a time and material basis”.

Conversations On Beekeeping Forums

I have been onto a few beekeeping forums to gather opinion. This is evolving. In summary, some people are hopeful others are sceptical.  There is a level of debate, often laugh-out-loud and humorous, some happy that inventors are looking at ways of combatting varroa without chemicals and  some with concerns it will harm the brood.  I asked the Thermosolar Hive team re this concern on harming brood which is in the Q&A above.

Interesting links provided on forums:

• Another heating device to kill varroa that has been around since 2008: the Varroa Controller, made in Austria.  Does anyone know if this has been a success?  It’s expensive and you need an electricity supply.
• Paper written in September 2015: Hyperthermia -a non-chemical control strategy against varroa

My Conclusion

I agree with Professor Ratnieks – we need to see the University results – out later in 2016.

Dear readers – grateful for any questions and comments.  You never know Roman or Jan might come and answer some of them.

Read More

• Thermosolar Hive Guide – this is my ultimate page on this hive.  I now own two!