Thermosolar Hive

The thermal comfort in the Thermosolar Hive accelerates the spring development of the colony by several weeks (compared to conventional hives) and saves the winter supplies, as well as the honey produced during the foraging. After winter (end of February) the bees will be almost as strong as how they were before winter. An experiment showed that the colonies in thermosolar hives consumed on average 6,4 kg of supplies less than the ones in conventional hives.

Most of the bee viruses are carried and transmitted by Varroa mites. With their extermination, the health condition of the bees automatically increases in this respect. Based on the studies, bee viruses are fundamental factors that have an influence on the lifespan and vitality of bees.

New hive boxes in the brood chamber are quickly laid with eggs during spring. 

Treatment of varroasis in a Thermosolar Hive is time-saving. Treatment consists only of removing the vapour-permeable roof in the morning and ventilating it after the maximum treatment temperature has been reached. The temperature is measured by the hive itself and it is then displayed on two digital thermometers that are integrated into the back of the thermosolar ceiling. The temperature, however, is moderated by a beekeeper who is in charge of the length of treatment and the level of temperature. This eliminates the possibility of failure of the best ventilation technology in advance and cannot endanger the colonies. 

By protecting the bees from frost, the thermosolar hive significantly reduces their mortality during the winter months. This allows even weaker colonies, such as backup colonies with spare queens, to survive the winter. The thermosolar windows heat up the colony during severe winters and eliminate the risks of bees dying out of the cold. The exhaustion of the bees is also considerably reduced which makes their life longer and helps to strengthen the spring colonies. The rule is the colder the weather the more the hive protects the colony. Low temperatures make the sky clear which increases the heating performance of thermosolar frames. The heat generated in this way is stored in the hive and, due to its construction, it also has considerable thermal inertia. On frosty and clear days, the hive can be up to 15°C warmer than the outside temperature. There is then a big difference between a hive that overwinters at -5°C and one that faces -20°C. 

This problem is known from thin-walled hives and can be fixed by creating thermal comfort for the worker bees which will enable better evaporation of water content of nectar.

Early season queens are the best as their colonies are ready for the main honey flow season. However, this is not possible in ordinary hives as the average temperature during early spring is as low as the temperature outside. This is the reason why having early-season queens and drones is not possible. A solution to this problem could be having a hive that can heat up itself and keep the warmth even with the first rays of sun after a long winter.

Without limiting the queen in the brood chamber, depending on the frame size the hive can hold up to 25 kg of honey in a honey super. This is also regarded in the whole concept of our Thermosolar Hives.

Varroa mites are almost all exterminated after the second thermotherapy during the late summer period. One treatment is enough to kill up to 70 % of mites which is the rate that could be dangerous to the colony. Varroa mites can only survive winters during their phoretic phases. The Thermosolar Hive reduces the risks of dying from varroa infestation. The hive technology aims not only to kill the Varroa mites directly in the capped brood but also on house bees (nurse bees for the brood). After the thermotherapy, they fall down to Varroa bottom. The first ones are killed at 38°C and the rest are eliminated when the temperature is above 40°C.

It is known that higher temperatures kill Nosema spores. As a side effect of the thermotherapy applied for Varroa mites in the late summer months, it also disinfects the hive from microsporidian parasites for winter. Spring thermotherapy helps the bees to avoid troubles with Nosema disease that could infect other colonies during this time of the year.

Drones and continuous thermosolar heating allow thousands of bees to fly out of the hive and devote themselves to pollen collection. This comes in handy, especially during the spring months.

Only correct performance of thermotherapy in the Thermosolar Hive ensures killing mites hidden in the fetus, with the efficiency of 100%. Therefore, only this approach gives us the opportunity to eradicate varroasis.