FAQ

The thermosolar beehive is a therapeutic device and magazine hive in one. Using thermosolar windows in each box and thermosolar ceiling, the thermosolar hive is able to warm the sealed brood in brood chambers during the thermotherapy to temperatures that are killing Varroa destructor. During the thermotherapy, both systems work together. The sunrays are transformed into heat waves that radiate into the brood chamber. The heat is absorbed into the wax, honey supplies and brood. Thanks to the thermally insulated honey chambers and bottom, the heat accumulates and retains for the time necessary to eliminate the Varroa mites. Therefore the varroa mites are exterminated also in sealed broods. Last but not least, thermosolar windows increase the thermal comfort of the bee colony in the long term. 

Thermosolar windows operate both in summer and winter. They can transform sunlight into heat, even if it’s freezing. In winter, their performance is not so high as to cause loosening of the winter cluster, nor the premature start of brood rearing. Nonetheless, the thermosolar widows can reduce the number of frost hours in the colony significantly and increase the temperature in the hive by several degrees. So bees need to spend less effort for maintaining a constant temperature of the winter cluster and thus consume fewer supplies.

In climates where bees overwinter, mainly in the temperate and subtropical belt, it is recommended to perform two consecutive thermotherapies (at 7-14 days intervals) twice annually, namely in the spring before placing the honey chambers but above all in late summer after the last extraction (before feeding for the winter). In general, 2 to 4 correctly performed thermo-therapies annually should be sufficient to cure the bee colony completely. It is, of course, necessary to adjust the number of thermo-therapies with regard to the current level of mite infestation of the colony. In climates where bee wintering does not occur, the use of thermotherapy is at the beekeepers‘ discretion.

First, the queen excluder must be removed, thermometer sensors must be properly inserted (in the comb in the middle of the brood chamber, one sensor below the top bar, one above the bottom bar). The brood chamber should include 5-8 kg of supplies either in the form of honey or sugar solution. Higher or lesser amount of supplies may eventually result in insufficient heating. In the upper box under the therapeutic thermosolar ceiling should not be present frames full of reserves or empty drawn combs but only frames with sealed brood. Hive entrance must be oriented to the southeast or south by southeast. Treatment starts in the morning, we take off the roof and illuminate the thermosolar ceiling. Shades must be removed from thermosolar windows. Achieving the required temperatures takes 1.5 to 3 hours, it is necessary to check the sensors. When the temperature on one sensor reaches 47°C (116.6°F) we put the roof back on; the shades are still removed. Temperatures in the brood chamber begin to equalize. Once both sensors display a minimum temperature of 40°C (104°F), we start to clock two hours, during which the temperature throughout the brood chamber (on both sensors) must not fall below 40°C (104°F). After 2 hours, we can open the hive and air the excess heat. During the following 12 days, we can see the increased level of mite fall. Within 7-14 days the thermotherapy must be performed once again. It is important to mention that already the temperature above 38°C for 2 hours and more damages the reproductive organs of the mites and makes their further reproduction impossible. The temperature over 40°C leads to the physical elimination of the mites.

Varroa mites parasitize outside the sealed brood mainly on house bees. Forager bees are merely a means of transport for the mites by which they colonize new bee colonies. To spread mites genes outside the hive just a few percent of migrant phoretic mites on forager bees are needed. The vast majority of the female mite, therefore, can be found on the brood, to a lesser extent on the house bees. Only house bees (bees taking care of the brood) can transmit the mite on the new brood before its capping, where the mite multiplies. This is why thermosolar heating is so effective not only against mites in the brood but also against mites on the bees. House bees tolerate significantly higher temperatures than older bees. Their body surface is less chitinized and they are able to cool down (thanks to the evaporation of water from the surface of their bodies), so they are able to tolerate temperatures even above 40°C. Therefore, they do not need to leave the heated combs for a long time and the mites on their bodies are killed by the high temperatures. Therefore, most of the mites found on bees cannot survive the treatment.

They do not have a long life ahead either. In summer the female Varroa mites suck on the bees on average for only 3-5 days. Then they return to the brood chamber and have themselves capped into the brood cells. Thus we can say that since the seventh to the fourteenth day after hatching from the brood and sucking on the bees, vast majority of female mites is capped again in a cell to start reproductive cycle there. Female Varroa mite must have herself capped together with the brood. Trapped under the cap she must start a population of descendants of both sexes. When the young bee hatches, the old female mite climbs out of the cell with the bee, together with her female offspring – fertilized daughters. Therefore, if the beekeeper carries out a repeated thermosolar heating a week or fourteenth days later, he/she manages to kill even those females that escaped the first treatment. Mites are killed together with their offspring of both sexes because all these mites are now trapped under the caps of the brood and cannot escape the heat. This is how the entire population of mites is wiped out completely after the second heating of the brood chamber.

The first thermotherapy kills up to 90% of the mite population, the second thermotherapy then the remaining part. The first thermotherapy kills all the mites in the brood and part of the mites on adult bees. It is usually reported that about 80-85% of the mites are found in the capped brood. The next significant amount of the mite can be found on house bees, which are also exposed to the thermotherapy. The remaining smaller part of the mite population is found on the adult bees which are not exposed to the therapeutic treatment. These mites are killed by the second thermotherapy. The result is the extinction of the entire population of mites in the hive.

Thanks to the thermosolar windows the beehive steadily increases the temperature in the brood nest. It is a modest increase, which assists in the development of bees, but at the same time prevents the reproduction of mites (mites are very sensitive to even slightly increased temperatures). Therefore the population of mites in the thermosolar hive remains during the summer months usually very low. However, warming by thermosolar windows cannot fully replace thermosolar treatment, even though we know from the experience of beekeepers that under ideal conditions warming by the thermosolar windows can gradually reduce the mite population almost to zero.

This is highly unlikely. Varroa destructor has developed together with the Indian bee (Apis ceranae), it's her natural parasite and is unable to kill her. This is because Indian bees warm the worker brood to 35.5°C (95.9°F) and the drone brood to 33°C (91.4°F), therefore Varroa parasitizes only on the drone brood. At temperatures above 35°C (95°F) Varroa is no longer able to multiply. If the mites were able to adapt to higher temperatures, they would certainly had done so during the millions of years of coevolution with the Indian bee. On the other hand, Varroa destructor mites can become resistant to chemical treatment already after several years of application.

The thermotherapy should not be performed when there is a queen excluder or caged queen in the hive. If the frames of the brood chamber are wired vertically (or not at all) and are overloaded with supplies (especially if it is a virgin comb), in such cases the frames might under certain circumstances lose their coherence.

The outside temperature should be at least 20°C (68°F), clear or almost clear. Maximum of 30% cloud cover. Therapeutic temperatures can be achieved even under worse conditions, however in that case keeping the required temperature for the necessary period can not be guaranteed.

Thanks to the long-term heating via thermosolar windows the bee colony does not consume so many reserves to warm the brood chamber to the required temperature. The beekeeper may extract even very weak flows, which would otherwise be consumed for brood rearing. Thanks to the long-term slow warming through thermosolar windows, not so many bees are needed to warm the brood and may devote themselves to pollen and nectar collection, which increase the honey yield of the bee colony.

Yes, it does. This is the reason why we recommend a study of the Anti-swarm method of breeding drones - for the basics follow the blog on our website or the exact and complete description in the book Think like a bee by Roman Linhart (available in Czech language only). If this method is used correctly according to the methodology, the bee colony will not even get into a swarming fever. Due to the higher amount of drones, the honey yield will also increase. The drones thermally stabilize the brood and therefore more bees can fly for the flow. The success rate of the Anti-swarm method of breeding drones is almost 100%. Compared to other anti-warming methods, this method is the most successful, while being one of the least labor-intensive and time-consuming for beekepers.

Thermosolar Hive™ can be produced in almost any size of modern beehives consisting of supers. However, it is crucial that the height of the brood box is at least 17 cm (6 5/8 inches). For many reasons, however, we recommend that the height of the brood box is ideally higher than 20 cm (7 3/4 inches). For honey supers the height is not important; it is possible to use different heights of supers. Nonetheless, for technical reasons, low supers cannot be equipped with a front thermosolar window. That alone, however, is not essential during the thermal therapy, because the treatment is carried out without the honey super, only on the brood boxes. 

If the heating performance of the hive is greater than the cooling ability of the bees, the temperature increases. The hive is constructed to overcome the cooling ability of the bees and to reach the required healing temperatures. The bees can ventilate hot air but not the heat waves that the Thermosolar Hive™ emits into the brood chamber. Once the temperature reaches above 40°C (104°F) most of the bees move to the bottom of the hive. Only the house bees stay on the combs of the heated brood chamber. The house bees tolerate the higher temperatures easily. The house bees guarantee the necessary humidity of the brood during the thermosolar treatment. Therefore the brood does not dry and it is not necessary to equip the hive with any mechanism to increase the air humidity.

Unfortunately, it can not. Thermosolar Hive™ is adapted to make it possible to achieve and maintain the desired temperatures and monitor the temperatures at the same time. Each super has a special insulation, thermosolar ceiling and windows contain special thermo-active colors that allow efficient transformation of light into heat. If the thermosolar ceiling was mounted on a common hive, treatment temperatures would never be reached.

Thermosolar windows increase the temperature of the brood chamber spontaneously and in the long term, without the help of the beekeeper. Higher thermal comfort will free more bees from having to heat the brood to collect nectar and pollen. Honey supplies are also saved because they are not used by the bees for heating the brood, which contributes to a higher honey yield compared to traditional hives. A higher honey yield will speed up the return on investment in a new hive. Continuous heating with thermosolar windows (except on very hot summer days) also prevents reproduction of Varroa mites, as on some days it will increase the temperature in brood chamber above 36°C up to the limit of 40°C. Temperatures above 38°C permanently damage the mite’s reproductive organs and abilities, temperatures above 40°C kill them directly. 

Bees cannot overheat in a thermosolar hive if the instructions for shading the thermosolar windows during very hot summer days are followed. On hot summer days, the beekeeper should check the temperatures reached and, if necessary, place shades on the thermosolar windows. It is not convenient for the bees to heat up to a temperature close to 40°C long-term for several days in a row.

Some beekeepers may perceive as a negative the higher weight of the thermosolar box, the possibility of damage to the thermosolar window/roof or the need to use window shades during hot summer days. Thanks to the thermosolar windows, the boxes are heavier compared to traditional boxes. Furthermore the glass used in the thermosolar box and thermosolar ceiling can be damaged by careless handling. Finally on very hot summer days, it is recommended to use thermosolar window shades to prevent the bee colony from overheating. 

Thermosolar windows can warm the hive all year-round. Especially in early spring, this effect is clearly visible, as due to the heat produced by thermosolar windows, the bee colonies are about 14 days faster in development than is usual in the conventional beehives. Thanks to higher warm comfort the bees may leave the winter cluster earlier, they can begin brooding earlier; more bees can fly for early nectar flow because they do not need to heat the brood so intensely. This is also the reason why the honey yield in the thermosolar hive is higher. 

Thermosolar hive is manufactured with frames oriented perpendicularly to the entrance, thus for the warm way. In many countries, this arrangement is the traditional and the most commonly used one. This arrangement of combs is advantageous for the structural reasons, as thus the front wall of the super does not bear the weight of the frames. This allows using the front wall for the thermosolar window. It also enables better exposition of the surface to the sunshine.