Infrared videos from the breeding area of honeybees

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Königin bei der Eiablage

Since 4 years I do infrared shots in beehives and optimize the quality constantly. I work with different lighting sets and a small special camera with changeable lenses. The infrared lighting cannot be seen by the bees, infrared light with a wavelength greater than 780nm is invisible to them. By constructive measures the lens of … Read more

A bees diary

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Filmset

The Taglicht Media documentary follows the life of a single bee. The film team gives insights into the life of a single individual in the superorganism with unique shots. Individual shots were taken with my bees. And that gave me a small insight into the work of the film team. It was a great asset … Read more

Torben Schiffer & the Schiffer-Tree

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Schiffer Tree

The Schiffer-Tree hive for a “revolution in beekeeping” Torben Schiffer presented in german TV (NDR broadcast „meinNachmittag – Der Bienenforscher aus Hamburg“ from 15.4.2019) the bee hive „Schiffer-Tree“ as the first species-appropriate bee hive at all. It is to protect the honey bees against manipulative interferences of humans and make nevertheless the beekeeping possible. It … Read more

Ventilation of the beehive by honey bees

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Fan at the edge of the honeycombs

Do honeybees form ventilation lines for effective cooling, dehumidification or gas exchange? In a natural beehive in a tree cavity there are no significant natural air changes. Ventilation with the aim of gas exchange, cooling or dehumidification must be actively performed by the bees. It is known that honey bees start fanning when air temperature, … Read more

Did bees invent Goretex?

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No Goretex effect

Do bees with propolis achieve the effect of functional clothing?

Torben Schiffer presents on the website of the Beenature-Project electron microscopic images of holes in the propolis layer among a theory of their formation and effect. It is stated that bees create these holes on purpose to ensure the removal of moisture by water vapor diffusion. Supposedly, they achieve an effect such as that of functional clothing (like Gore-Tex) by this means that allows water vapor diffusion but prevents the permeability to water in its liquid form. Several questions arise from the article.

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Effect of high humidity in the beehive on the water content of honey

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test specimens

A balance is established between the water content of the honey and the surrounding air humidity. The balancing moisture content of honey at a relative humidity of 55% is about 17.5%. At a relative humidity of 80%, honey has a water content of over 30% (source: The hygroscopic properties of different dilutions of Honey, Doull … Read more

Effect of outer thermal insulation on moisture in the beehive

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Hollow

The evolution of honeybees has taken place over many millions of years in tree hollows with a respectable thermal insulation of the surrounding wood. It is to be expected that they have adjusted perfectly to this climate inside the tree cavities, which is much influenced by the thermal insulation. Only in modern beekeeping did they have to forgo the advantages of such thermal insulation.

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Bee hive Gruibert

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Gruibert

The Gruibert hive is a double-walled wooden bee hive insulated with hemp insulation wool for hanging in a tree. Some characteristics of these hive correspond to those of natural tree cavities. It represents a compromise between such a natural habitat and usual bee hives. The thermal insulation is comparable to that in a tree cavity … Read more

Tom´s Tree

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Toms Tree

In the fall of 2017, I made Thomas Seeley an offer he couldn’t possibly refuse. I offered him 10 of my just finished Beeloggers to use in the Arnot Forest in the natural tree cavities he knows. I wrote him an e-mail with all the information about the data loggers and offered to climb into the trees with him. Thomas Seeley answered quickly and firmly: Unfortunately no time.

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Rodeo bee drops Varroa mite!

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Rodeo Biene

A bee tries to free itself from a Varroa mite for minutes, with powerful and very fast shaking movements. Presumably she cannot distinguish the mite from disturbing pollen residues at all, I have often been able to observe this shaking movements. Often bypassing bees then take these shaking movements to help the troubled bee, just … Read more