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  "description": "Some observations on the impact of low overnight temperatures on colony development and spring swarming, and the use of Taranov swarm control to partition the flying and 'non-flying' bees to prevent swarming.",
  "path": "/temperatures-and-taranovs/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-08T16:00:27.000Z",
  "site": "https://theapiarist.org",
  "tags": [
    "Subscribe now"
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  "textContent": "Like many beekeepers, I'm often _thinking_ about my bees at any time of the day or night. But like most beekeepers, I do my beekeeping during the day.\n\nBut not just any time during the day.\n\nMost of my beekeeping is done between late morning and mid/late afternoon.\n\nThat's a 6-hour window, or just 25% of the day. During the rest of the time, the bees look after themselves — I don't bother them, at least, not usually.\n\nIn temperate regions, other than during a heat wave, that 6-hour period straddles the time when it's a good temperature to open the hives.\n\nAnd, of equal importance, it includes the temperature at which the bees are much more tolerant of my meddling.\n\nThe lows and highs over the last fortnight\n\nMy bees are reasonably well-tempered at the ~~best~~ worst of times, but they're a lot better at 15 °C than they are at 5 °C.\n\nSponsors get more … posts, news, and information on the science, art, and practice of sustainable beekeeping. They also have access to over a decade of legacy posts, and ensure __The Apiarist__ continues to appear every week.\n\nSign up as a sponsor\n\nThe timing of my trips to the apiary are therefore determined by my need to do something on a specific date (regular 7-day colony inspections, checking splits for queen cells, feeding the cell raiser) _and_ by the temperature.\n\nIf the timing is important, it takes priority. I do whatever is needed _irrespective_ of the temperature.\n\nHowever, if there's some flexibility in the timing, I look at the weather forecast … and then usually have another coffee before setting off to the apiary.\n\n### This post is for subscribers only\n\nBecome a member to get access to all content\n\nSubscribe now",
  "title": "Temperatures and Taranovs",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-08T18:00:28.174Z"
}