Black Birch Farm Apiaries
Weather and Beekeeping Research
WEATHER AND BEEKEEPING RESEARCH:
Weather affect bees and beekeeping in various ways and it is imperative that the beekeeper be informed about condition that affect the hive. Indeed, all we have to do is remember the summer drought of 2020 to see its impact on our hives. To that end, BBF provides the following information on our web site.
To access our data just click on the associated “UPDATE” title below or access directly through our Main Menu under “WEATHER AND BEE RESEARCH”
Up-To-The-Minute Weather Information at our On-Site Weather Station
BBF operates, as part of its apiculture research initiative, a HOBO weather station collecting weather, leaf, soil moisture, and potential evapotranspiration data every 5 minutes and posting those every hour. You can reach that info for the past day, week, or month by going to our web site and clicking the research button which will bring to our weather dashboard.
Weekly Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index (AWSSI)
As developed by the National Weather Service, BBF calculates the daily AWSSI and posts such information on a weekly basis in graph form for the entire winter season.
Weekly Nectar Information
At Black Birch Farm Apiaries Nectar samples are collected from a variety of Native and Agricultural Plants. This data is posted on a weekly form spring through fall.
Weekly Precipitatiom vs. Evapotranspiration
At BBF we monitor the amount of precipitation (moisture incoming) to evapotranspiration (moisture outgoing) plotted on a daily basis for the week. If the evapotranspiration exceeds the precipitation value it indicates a negative moisture balance which can effect nectar flow and perhaps the need to provide water to hives.At Black Birch Farm Apiaries we monitor Soil Moisture, Precipitation, and Evapotranspiration to determine moisture stress on both hive activity and nectar flow.
Weekly Soil Moisture and Drought Monitoring
At BBF we monitor Soil Moisture, Precipitation, and Evapotranspiration to determine moisture stress on both hive activity and nectar flow. This information is posted on a weekly basis.
Weekly Summary Bee Activity Index
The Bee Activity Index is published on the website daily for the previous day and it also summarized here on a weekly basis. Our Bee Activity Index is based on our weather information and our close range photogrammetry at the beehive entrances. The larger the number the greater the potential bee activity as controlled by meteorological conditions.
Monthly Totals Of Weather Data at Black Birch Farm Apiaries
At the beginning of each month we post the previous months daily and monthly totals.
Monthly Summary Bee Activity Index
The Bee Activity Index is published on the website daily for the previous day and it also summarized here on a monthly basis. Our Bee Activity Index is based on our weather information and our close range photogrammetry at the beehive entrances. The larger the number the greater the potential bee activity as controlled by meteorological conditions.