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 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.
Weekly Precipitation vs. Evapotranspiration:
This chart shows 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 Cumulative Precipitatiom vs. Evapotranspiration:
This chart shows the amount of precipitation (moisture incoming) to evapotranspiration (moisture outgoing) plotted CUMULATIVELY on a daily basis for the week. If the evapotranspiration exceeds the precipitation value it indicates a negative moisture balance which can affect 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 Black Birch Farm Apiaries 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.
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.
Monthly Precipitation vs. Evapotranspiration:
This chart shows the amount of precipitation (moisture incoming) to evapotranspiration (moisture outgoing) plotted on a daily basis for the month. 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
Monthly Cumulative Precipitation vs. Evapotranspiration:
This chart shows the cumulative amount of precipitation (moisture incoming) to evapotranspiration (moisture outgoing) plotted on a daily basis for the month. 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.
Monthly Soil Moisture and Drought Monitoring:
At Black Birch Farm Apiaries we monitor Soil Moisture, Precipitation, and Evapotranspiration to determine moisture stress on both hive activity and nectar flow. This information is posted on a monthly basis.
2022 Bee Season - Growing Degree Days:
At Black Birch Farm Apiaries we monitor Temperature, Rainfall, Cumulative Precipitation & Evapotranspiration to determine moisture stress to determine Growing Degree Days and their affect on both hive activity and nectar flow. This information is posted on a seasonal basis. Note: During winter months select data is unavailable
Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index (AWSSI)
As developed by the National Weather Service, BBF calculates the daily AWSSI and posts such information in graph form for the entire winter season. For our area runs late October until beginning of Spring (first and last significant snowfalls)