It has been a hot and humid summer here in South Carolina, US. I purchased my first Hiive and installed Italian Honeybees in the Spring. I have several other hives, Apimaye Hives, that are all doing well. I’ve lost my bees in my Hiive. They relocated after drawing out comb in both the honey super and the main chamber. Has anyone else had a problem with the Hiive in a hot humid environment?
I’ve written 2 emails to hello@Hiive but have not heard back from them. My idea is to increase air flow thru the Hiive via drilling out the bottom and adding cups to the cover air vents. If I could see I would try to make a cover out of a fabric that is more breathable, yet still waterproof.
Any thoughts?
Hi Brian,
First of all, I’m really sorry to hear you lost the colony — that’s always frustrating, especially when your other hives are doing well.
South Carolina summers are definitely extreme in terms of heat and humidity. HIIVE is heavily insulated by design, which supports winter stability and energy efficiency, but in very hot climates placement becomes especially important.
A few important points:
• Direct midday sun in high-humidity regions can overheat any hive, especially insulated systems. Partial shade during peak afternoon heat is often beneficial.
• Ventilation is possible through the existing air channels, but drilling additional holes is generally not recommended, as it can disrupt the internal climate balance the hive is designed for.
• Absconding is usually multifactorial — heat stress, nectar dearth, queen issues, varroa pressure, or disturbance can all play a role.
Before modifying the hive, I would suggest checking:
– Was there sufficient shade during peak heat?
– Was there a nectar dearth?
– What was the varroa level before absconding?
– Was the hive recently disturbed or opened frequently?
We absolutely want to respond to emails. If you haven’t received a reply, please resend to hallo@hiive.eu or message us directly via WhatsApp. We do not ignore customers, and I apologize if your messages were missed.
If you’d like, share a bit more about the exact placement and timing of the absconding, and we can try to analyze it more precisely.
We’re very interested in learning from different climate zones, including the southeastern US.
Best regards,
Peter