The Buzz Around Overwintering Bees In a Steel Building

Healthier Bee Hives are in Our Future Due to Prefabricated Steel Buildings

Bees have communicated with humans for thousands of years to keep them indoors. Every year, beekeepers remove honey bees from homes and buildings at a surprising pace. Science now confirms what bees have been attempting to communicate with humans. Today, over 100,000 hives are kept indoors in America alone. Canadians have wintered most of their bees for decades.

Here are some reasons to consider overwintering bees in a prefabricated Steel Building.

Food:

Prefabricated steel buildings offer a secure and warm space for beekeepers to tend to their hives. Feeding bees in the depths of winter can be difficult and sometimes dangerous. How much food required to sustain your bee hives depend on your geographic, how long you plan to overwinter and the number of bees in your hive. Make sure your colony have adequate food for the winter for it is necessary to the survival of your hive.

Ventilation:

Ventilating accumulated carbon dioxide produced by bees is important. Steel buildings affords beekeepers the ability to ventilate their hives without adding more barriers or safeguards against foreign hazards such as insects or field mice looking for warmth.

Protection:

Bees kept in a steel building can better manage their desired cluster temperature avoiding the need to wrap the hive with  hay or tarpaper. Note that wrapping your hives can cause other issues. Steel buildings offer further defense against invading creatures which can enter hives and cause damage–avoiding the need for harsh pesticides. Lastly, housing hives inside allows for drainage of chilly air away from the hive and shields them from direct winds.

Moisture control:

Steel buildings are excellent for controlling moisture because they support most types of insulation and climate control systems. (HVAC) Out in the wild, beekeepers go to extremes to reduce moisture in their hives caused by both snow and water vapors generated by the bees. Keepers use moisture boards above the inner cover to absorb any remaining ambient moisture. Others fill shims with wood shavings or stuff the lid with burlap sacks; of which can fall off by strong winds or animals searching for food and shelter.

In Conclusion:

Bees need plenty of food, ventilation, moisture control and protection from the wind and from invading creatures, to get through even the mildest of winters. We have imposed artificial hives and excessive requirements on bees. Don’t assume your bees will make it through the winter without your help. Steel building technology and design have grown from 6,000 square foot to 60,000 square foot structures in just a few years. The repaid expansion of steel building technology and flexible design allows for beekeepers to overwinter hundreds of thousands of hives in a secure and temperature controlled buildings for winters to come.

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