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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
William Morong <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 15 Oct 1999 09:51:40 -0400
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A guess at the reason for bees' attraction to fluorescent light, mentioned
by John Henry:  Von Frisch teaches that bees are blind to red, but sensitive
the colors other than red that we see, and to ultraviolet.  The spectrum of
incandescent lights, whether electrically or thermally activated, is
centered toward the red, even extending into the infra-red, which neither we
nor bees can see.  Fluorescent lamps do not internally generate much visible
light, but ultraviolet light, much of which is converted into light visible
both to us and to bees by the phosphor coating (white powder) on the inside
of the glass envelope.  Any ultraviolet that escapes conversion and happens
to sneak through the combination of phosphor and glass, though invisible to
us, will likely also be visible to bees.  Thus it is likely that most of the
output of fluorescent lights is visible to bees, making such relatively
bright source.

Bill Morong

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