Wildfires

Wildfires | Aftereffects:

• Resources have been destroyed, making it difficult or in some cases impossible for honey bees to find food or water.   

• The residual haze of wildfires has been shown to affect the pattern of polarized light in the sky that honey bees use as a compass without which bees can get lost, endangering both themselves and their colony who are not being delivered resources.  

• Smoke absorbs sun rays and can significantly lower the temperature. During cool temperatures, honey bees are not as active, interrupting foraging and potentially impacting the health of the colony if they do not have the resources necessary to effectively manage the hive. 

Wildfires | Preparation 

• Consider creating a fire break with a minimum of 3 meters surrounding your apiary. This requires removing material such as long, dry grass, leaves, and other natural flammable substances. 

• Consider planting naturally fire-resistant plants around your apiary to further protect your colonies from wildfires. For example, Salal (Gaultheria shallon) is a low-growing, evergreen shrub native to the Pacific Northwest.  

• Avoid using your smoker in high temperatures and dry weather conditions. A small spark is enough to start a fire that can cause significant damage not just to your apiary, but to the surrounding area. 

• Carry a fire extinguisher and extra water to put out small sparks or wet an area before lighting your smoker. 

• As an alternative to your smoker, try using a sugar-water spray (1:1 ratio) to distract the bees by feeding them. 

• Alternatively, try mixing a few drops of essential oil (lemongrass, peppermint, or eucalyptus) into a spray bottle of water and using that to mist your bees before handling your bees. The fragrance of the essential oil masks the alarm pheromone released by the bees.