A weather station allows beekeepers to better understand the the colony’s environment.
This environment has a direct impact on honey production since some blooming depends on temperatures or rainfall. Thus, for bloomage which ends with the first rain (for example the burning bush or the acacia), beekeepers need to be able to react quickly in order to recover the supers and to move the hives that are no longer productive to another place—and thus continue honey production with other flowers.
On the other hand, if the local weather forecast announces rain, but in reality it doesn’t rain, the beekeeper will then be able to leave hives longer on the same site. This is a real time saver that can save several kilos of honey per colony!
Bees forage little or not at all below 14°C (57°F), or in strong winds, or when it is raining. This can be very disorienting. One cool, rainy period in May or June can lead to stress on hive food stocks just when, in theory, the beekeeper was expecting honey production.
Finally, contrary to popular belief, a hive weather station does not measure the temperature inside the hive. Its temperature sensor is not located inside but rather outside the colony.