Science of Weather: Detroit Hives
With multiple Hive Placement locations across the region, Detroit Hives is making an impact on the community and the environment.
Timothy Paul Jackson with the Detroit Hives says, "Welcome to our Brightmoor Pollinator Habitat, one of 23 locations that is here in the city of Detroit, in southeast Michigan. It's home to many perennials, visiting pollinators and home to two honey bee hives. What was once vacant here to this city Detroit now serves a certified hardy habitat for Michigan's 467 native bees, honeybees and visiting pollinators."
These bees have been busy, buzzing around this habitat. But did you know the weather has a huge impact on the bee's flights? Bees have an instinct of when the weather turns.
Nicole Lindsey with the Detroit Hives adds, "Honeybees depend on the sunlight when they're out foraging. When we have days where it's cloudy or begins to rain, then we'll start seeing them not foraging out as much. And it's because when it's cloudy, it's hard for them to take the sunlight to get back and forth from their colony when they're out foraging, when it's raining, especially when we have a heavy pour down that can actually damage and break their wings. If it tends to be like a light little mist, it kind of just wets their wings and they have a little slower time getting back to the hive. But we'll see some bees out when it's like light rain, but when it's extremely pouring down, they know when it's getting ready to rain, too. So we'll start seeing them more and more coming back to the hive or not leaving out as frequently. Also, when it's high winds, we won't see them out either because that wind can push them out of their direction and where they're going."
All the different weather elements play a role for the bees, and when we were here at the Brightmoor Pollinator Habitat, it was a light rain with mostly cloudy skies, so we know the bees still come out when the weather isn't exactly ideal. Speaking of rain, this is the rainwater catcher.
"This is our rainwater catchment system. This is was actually built by our neighbor next door. But we got these totes because we have this great garden right here. So it needs the water. So it actually collects the rainwater" Nicole Lindsey.
Now that's the Science of Weather. In Detroit, I'm Meteorologist Kylee Miller.