dommod
New Bee
I've been pondering the moving of bees and was wondering if moving them three miles or more is actually bad for the colony but we don't notice the problem.
If moving more than three feet, the old saying tells us to move them more than three miles; otherwise a certain proportion of foragers will recollect at the original site. However there is a lot of information suggesting that if, after the move you shut them in for a day or so, then place a diversion at the entrance it will force them to reorientate to their new location.
Consider the effects of two possible relocations which a colony could be subjected to, (A) which is half a mile away from the original site and (B) which is five miles away from the original site. With no intervention the bees are not stimulated to reorientate. Some bees from situation (A) will happen across familiar landmarks and will be able navigate to the original site. Whatever direction bees from situation (B) fly, they will not (unless they fly really far) happen across familiar landmarks, so what happens to them? Do they find their way back to the new location.
Is it the case that on every flight some reorientation is occurring? Does this mean that when bees from sight (A) fly out, they are recreating their map of their world, but if they they happen across a familiar landmark then their old map, based on tens of flights, takes precedence over the new map based on the current flight? Or is it that unless the bees are forced to reorientate at the new location they wont?
When we move them more than three miles, just because we don't see a cluster of bees at the old location does this mean we can give ourselves a pat on the back? Or are the bees that would have made up that cluster just lost and spread thinly over several square miles? Would it be sensible to set up an entrance diversion to force reorientation even when moving a hive more than three miles so that we don't loose bees?
Particularly interested if anyone can point me towards research done on this subject.
Thanks
If moving more than three feet, the old saying tells us to move them more than three miles; otherwise a certain proportion of foragers will recollect at the original site. However there is a lot of information suggesting that if, after the move you shut them in for a day or so, then place a diversion at the entrance it will force them to reorientate to their new location.
Consider the effects of two possible relocations which a colony could be subjected to, (A) which is half a mile away from the original site and (B) which is five miles away from the original site. With no intervention the bees are not stimulated to reorientate. Some bees from situation (A) will happen across familiar landmarks and will be able navigate to the original site. Whatever direction bees from situation (B) fly, they will not (unless they fly really far) happen across familiar landmarks, so what happens to them? Do they find their way back to the new location.
Is it the case that on every flight some reorientation is occurring? Does this mean that when bees from sight (A) fly out, they are recreating their map of their world, but if they they happen across a familiar landmark then their old map, based on tens of flights, takes precedence over the new map based on the current flight? Or is it that unless the bees are forced to reorientate at the new location they wont?
When we move them more than three miles, just because we don't see a cluster of bees at the old location does this mean we can give ourselves a pat on the back? Or are the bees that would have made up that cluster just lost and spread thinly over several square miles? Would it be sensible to set up an entrance diversion to force reorientation even when moving a hive more than three miles so that we don't loose bees?
Particularly interested if anyone can point me towards research done on this subject.
Thanks