Hello All

Mike Rowbottom wrote as follows:

>In my view measures to reduce the 'nastiness' of an aggressive colony in
>an urban or suburban environment is the wrong approach altogether.

Thanks to Mike for his reply. I believe that Mike may have misunderstood my
question - perhaps my fault.

At no stage did I seek to use information on defensive behaviour to reduce
the 'nastiness' of an aggressive colony. I quite agree with his views that
nasty bees have no place in a suburban environment, and since I have hives
in my back garden I have more than an academic interest in this. Any hive
that steps out of line is sentenced to immediate transportation to an out
apiary.

What I am seeking to do, is to use whatever means I can to reduce even
further the possibility of stinging even by quiet bees.

I believe that the intrinsic quietness of bees is only one factor - albeit a
major factor - in the overall equation. Handling and siting also play a
part. And if better and more scientific handling based on knowledge and
measurement, can be factored into quiet bees, surely the end result must be
even better.?


Mike further wrote:
>I also am interested in numbers and measurement related to beekeeping.
>What measurements can be made that give added value to beekeepers?

In my opinion beekeeping is absolutely full of measurements, e.g.

The weight of stores in a hive for winter, the strength of the syrup fed to
the bees, the number of varroa mites which the bees can tolerate, the ideal
temperature in a beehive, the number of foragers in a hive at the start of a
flow, the number of beehives which any given area can support, surely the
number of such measurements is legion.

And knowing and observing them must give added value to beekeepers, on the
basis that not knowing or ignoring them causes diminished value.

Sincerely

Tom Barrett
49 South Park, Foxrock
Dublin 18
Ireland
Tel + 353 1 289 5269
Fax + 353 1 289 9940