MATERIALS
Thermal conductivity of the ceramic beehives
Beehive made of ceramic is a relatively novel concept in the feed of the beekeeping industry. One of the reasons behind the idea of changing the classical construction material of the beehives is the relatively better thermal conductivity of the ceramic material in comparison with the wooden. Previous field observations show that in wintertime the temperature in the ceramic beehive is with 1oC to 2oC warmer than the temperature measured in a wooden beehive from the same field. The present study aims to examine the thermographic characteristics of a ceramic beehive and to compare them with the most spread wooden type of hives. For the purpose, it was conducted a thermographic diagnostic of three beehives (two ceramic and one wooden) from the same field. The measurement is conducted with a thermal imaging infrared camera. For the analysis is used a licensed software FLIR Reporter Pro. The results of the comparative analysis show that in terms of balanced thermal distribution and creating a better internal environment, the ceramic beehives outperform the wooden one. What is more, the higher porosity of the ceramic material is proved to be a factor in the provision of a balanced thermal environment for the bee family.