I have spent a month researching bee lore and practices like the one shown. Believe me, there is no proof that any of them work, any more than prayers, incantations or begging. But anyone is free to wish for whatever they desire.
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Superstition can be instilled quickly. B. F. Skinner's classic superstitions pigeon is a good example. The accidental temporal closeness of a behavior and a reinforcement will encourage the assumption that there is a cause and effect relationship. Psychologists use the term adventitious reinforcement. I suspect many of the superstitions about hiving a swarm developed this way and have become encased in beekeeping lore.
Just in case, I have tried many of these. Banging pots and throwing dust in the air did not work for me.
Larry Krengel
Marengo, IL
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