Dear myhive Community,

What a summer it has been… It can be summed up in three words: Heat, heat, heat! And it was a real challenge for both the bees and the beekeepers in their protective suits!

How are the bees coping with the heat?

We heard this question almost every day this summer, and the answer is both surprising and yet to be expected: overall, they are doing well. Bees are incredibly adaptable creatures. They can not only keep the body of the superorganism known as the “bee colony” warm in winter, but also cool it down in summer.

To do so, they use a familiar physical principle: evaporative cooling. Much like humans sweating, bees spread water collected from their surroundings over the surface of the honeycombs (their “skin”). The airflow generated by their wingbeats causes the water to evaporate, creating a cooling effect that allows them to keep the temperature inside their brood remarkably constant.

However, the changing temperatures and increased sun exposure also meant that adjustments were necessary in beekeeping. In the future, even greater care will need to be taken to ensure that the hives are adequately shaded.

One mystery for our beekeeper is why the honey harvest has been so successful this year, despite the heat and drought. In any case, we will need to rethink some theories we have long taken for granted. Is the increased nectar production a response by plants to attract more insects and ensure their survival? Are bees collecting more nectar because its high water content helps them cool their surroundings? We don't know yet, but we remain curious!

All in all, the myhive bees collected 178 kg of honey this year, averaging 35 kg per bee colony.

But the beekeeping season is not over yet… The focus now is on preparing the colonies for winter. On the one hand, they are treated against the Varroa mite (which is largely responsible for what is known as colony collapse). On the other hand, they are fed regularly with organic sugar syrup to replace the honey that has been harvested.

In addition, we leave all the honey the bees continue to collect from harvest time through to October in the hive. After all, honey is not only good for us humans, but above all for the bees themselves. Natural, unprocessed blossom honey from diverse natural sources contains up to 270 different substances, including vitamins, minerals, trace elements and much more.

Through our bee sponsorship programme, we support local beekeeping, thereby sustainably promoting regional pollination and biodiversity!

Your myhive Community & Operations Management Team,

Julia Dobbler, Jana Warnecke und Roxana Ignat