Greg Roody asked:
> Do bees get to know their keepers?
It would be unlikely, if not impossible, because:
a) Every day, 1000 - 2000 new bees hatch out.
It would be hard to "meet" that many beings
of any sort. Of 60,000 bees in a hive, how
many can ever "get to know you", even assuming
that bees are better at recalling names and faces
than Dale Carnegie was?
b) Even if you "inspected" a hive every day,
you will not be able to make every bee aware
of your "visit". There will always be a significant
number of bees who are completely unaware that
you have opened the hive, removed the super that
they are in, etc. Many bees are foraging, and have
no way to "meet" you.
c) Bees simply do not seem to "remember" tactical
information, so despite my predictable approach,
entrances are still guarded, but no guards ever
await me on the inner cover or topmost super.
(Note that I have yet to stick a finger in an entrance!)
d) Despite their navigational skills, bees have very
tiny brains. They can learn "new things", like
how to navigate a maze, but they do not appear
to be able to learn "new skills", such as operating
a microswitch to receive a few drops of nectar.
e) Anecdotal reports of specific individuals who cannot even
stand in an apiary without being stung should be analyzed
from the standpoint of odor, clothing color, and so on.
There has to be a "trigger", since there is simply no other
way for the bees to reach a consensus that this person is
a threat to any hive, and get defensive.
> Has anyone observed a colony react differently to an
> inspector or knowledgeable visitor (someone who knows
> their way around)?
Of course - but not because the bees "know" the person opening
their hive. The bees are not disturbed (as much) by someone who
manipulates a colony with style and panache. Since the more
experienced beekeeper crushes no bees, does not thump about,
and moves frames smoothly, no alarm is raised (or the alarm is
less pronounced).
I have post-mortemed too many bees under a low-power
microscope to agree with Alan's statement that
"bees are individuals". Yes, there is some "individuality",
but many more are apparently identical, even at higher
magnification. (A stereo microscope is a big help here,
since one can set it up as a comparator, and prepare a
"slide" with two bees in identical positions for A/B comparisons.
There is a cheap and easy way to at least see the physiological
differences between bees without killing them. Buy a headband
magnifier like one of the ones one the 2nd row of this web page:
http://www.ppcitools.com/mags/bino.htm
With one, you can keep your face about a handbreadth away from
the top bars of a super, and take a good close look at the bees.
Be careful to not breathe on the bees too much, because carbon
dioxide from your breath is one of the triggers that make bees think
that a mammal is "raiding" their hive. Moreso with AHB.
With a cheap pair of binoculars and a steady hand, you could
get the same view from a few steps away. 10 x 50 nautical
binoculars would be too powerful, use a low-power el-cheapo
pair.
jim
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