Thermal Cameras are a great way to monitor your beehives in the winter. You can observe their heat signature to ensure the hive is healthy and active, without lifting the lids of your hive and cooling it down or irritating the bees. We got this one for George this Christmas.
This is a heat signature before and after of our dog, Gracie.
Living in the southeastern part of the US, it is best to use thermal cameras when it’s cold outside; otherwise, you won’t be able to detect their heat through the hive walls, which he tried to do earlier in the day.
After doing a little research, he decided on a Vevor brand that he’d seen other beekeepers use. I imagine if you lived in a colder climate, having a thermal camera would be a necessity. But you can also use it to find lost queens and identify weak spots in the hive.
In the images here, the one to the left is the night shot of the hive with his phone camera, and the one to the right, you can see the ball of activity at the bottom of the hive in red. The area near the top could be the bees eating fondant or from the insulation in the hive; we aren’t sure, as this is all new to us.
Professional beekeepers like Jeff Horchoff in Louisiana use a thermal camera to locate feral colonies inside structures, such as in this Thermal Camera Video. It was interesting because the heat signature appeared closer than it was, and he ended up having to go deeper under the roof to access the swarm.
While a few folks in the Blackwater Beekeeper Club do swarm removals, George does not, at least not structural removals. If you have a swarm somewhere low in a tree, then we can talk. 😊 For now, he wants to use swarm traps.
There are many uses for a thermal camera in beekeeping. Although there are other ways to check hive health, I think we are going to like this option because it does not disturb the hive, and it’s fun to use.
♥BeeHappy♥
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