Garth wrote:
>
> In the book, Honeybees and Wax, and Experimental Natural History, by
> Proffessor HR Hepburn, who heads bee research at my University (also
> Rhodes University) in South Africa, he mentions that bees are
> disinclined to draw wax in open light and that they require dim too
> dark conditions to satisfactorily prodce wax. Hence if you have drawn
> frames it shold make little difference, buut undrawn frames may be a
> problem? Also you ruun the risk of not being able to see bees hanging
> in festoons making wax. This is really fun to watch in my opinion.
>
 
It may be true that light reduces the impulse to draw comb, but in the
Alaskan summers, with abundant light almost continuously, we have swarms
set up housekeeping in the open fairly often.  If they do not have any
choice they will do it regardless.
 
--
"Test everything.  Hold on to the good."  (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
 
Tom Elliott
Chugiak,  Alaska
U.S.A.
[log in to unmask]