On Tue, 14 Jan 2003 08:46:00 -0500 James Fischer
<[log in to unmask]> writes:
>
> Without any testing at all, one can state with certainty that bees can
differentiate
> one flower from another by vision alone, so markers that are nothing
but simplified
> and enlarged patterns copied from photos of flowers taken under UV
light should be
> a good "drift preventer".

To be truly effective wouldn't the "enlarged patterns copied from photos
of flowers taken under UV light" have to be painted on the hives in a
such a way that made them visible to bees but invisible to humans? What I
mean is, wouldn't these floral patterns have to be painted with a paint
that can be seen only under UV light? (Is there such a paint?) Is a
pattern that is visible to the human eye in natural light as effective a
"drift preventer" as one that is only visible under UV light? How
important is the color that is visible to the human eye in attracting
bees to the flower? Do bees see a relationship between this color that
and the pattern seen under UV light? Are bees initially attracted to the
color that is visible to the human eye and then as they get closer to the
flower guided in by the pattern that is visible under UV light? Or is the
pattern seen under UV light all that matters to them? Thank you.

Mark