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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Peter L Borst <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:05:21 -0400
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Hi all

At this of going on about it, what I am asking is "how can bees evaluate the quantity of stores" and "how can they anticipate how much they will need". If they lack the ability to do either one of these calculations, the theory fails that they adjust their foraging to the quantity they already have. 

For example, how much money will you need for retirement? You can't say, because you don't know how long you will live, what expenses will come up, etc. So, you answer: I will save as much as I possibly can, because I can't know how much I will need. (If I add to that an additional variable of not knowing how much I have, I can't even begin to calculate)

The hive faces the same situation. They don't know how long a given amount of honey will last, so it would be a mistake to stop foraging for any reason other than completely running out of room to store honey. I submit that this is what they do, and this is the strategy that has evolved over time. 

PLB

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