putting a hive in a building on purpose

[moldy]

DH is wondering if you could put a hive in a building (leaving like a mail slot for entrance/exit) to provide more shelter/ease of working.  I know you would lose some bees when you work it, as they would get out and not be able to re-enter the hive once the cover is on.  I'm thinking this is not such a good idea, but need more specifics to convince DH of that.


Suggestions other than just don't do it??

[indypartridge]

What kind of building? Heated?

If it’s heated – the bees will be considerably more active in winter and consume their stores much more rapidly.
So you’ll probably have to feed them.

As you noted, the idea of opening the hive to indoors will result in a lot of bees flying around. Further, I don’t know how tightly sealed your husband’s hives are, but I always leave mine so that the bees can enter/exit via the top if they want. If there’s any possible exit aside from the slot to the outside, the bees will find it.

And if the hive is sealed up with only one entrance to the outside, that creates a ventilation issue. The bees do a lot to control air flow and internal hive temperature (heating/cooling), and depending on how the entrance to the outside is set up, they may be unable to effectively control hive temperatures, moisture content, etc.

I have seen pictures of European setups, where colonies are kept under roof, but it’s outside. Sort of like a run-in shed for horses or cattle. In fact, one of my friends uses an old run-in shed for several of his hives.

[feather]

I'm not a beekeeper and I have no experience. I would think, that with any animal, bees are an animal, that if they are given a home, beyond the hive, a warmer place of shelter, that they might be territorial about it. I would worry that a shed or building would seem like 'their territory' and they might defend it if they are disturbed.

If it is snowing outside, the wind is howling, and someone opens the door to their warmer or at least more peaceful indoor environment, they might become agitated and begin to defend the area.

I also would consider the warmer temperature of the hive when located inside a building. Would any mites or other detrimental growths be more likely to survive in warmer conditions through a winter? Is there a natural die-off of mites or other harmful insects that happens in the winter?

I don't know the answers. This is what I'm thinking.

[steveinpa]

Reviving this old thread...

I think what OP was talking about is being done in Europe and covered here