Charles wrote
""its quite clear also that a large number do not ever return!""
" it would be almost impossible IMO to learn anything from it, small numbers of forager are going to be replaced quickly by recruitment, and how does one even begin to calculate the water/ nectar in and out, vs a new location where foraging is going to be off right away? "
"At roughly 200 bees per ounce, can we really accurately see a variation of 2 or 3 ounces "
I would not consider the loss of 400-600 field bees a "large number" or of any consequence or concern, much less a cost. Are some bees lost, very likely, However your leading argument is a large number are lost , not that an insignificant number is lost.
As there is only one frame of open brood/nurse bees so there is no recruitment. We have loaded the box with several pounds of field bees. If a large number does not return as you predict, we should see a measurable drop in weight come 1st flights.
it would be easy enough to weight the equipment pre field bee install and then shake them out and weight post if your worried about foraging impacting weights, but if your correct, the scouts fly off and are lost and there should be little incoming.
Thinking about it, the possible monkey wrench as I see it, is people use the described manipulation (fly back split) to trigger post swarm behavior (comb drawing, brood rearing, etc) and it might trigger post swarm reorientation.
Seth C
________________________________
From: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Charles Linder <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2018 9:17 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [BEE-L] the cost of moving hives
> Move to a new spot 5 miles or more away, and see what the weight loss is
> like after a day of flight activity.
That’s been discussed offline, as of yet I have discarded the concept, while initial weight seems to be a clue, it would be almost impossible IMO to learn anything from it, small numbers of forager are going to be replaced quickly by recruitment, and how does one even begin to calculate the water/ nectar in and out, vs a new location where foraging is going to be off right away?
At roughly 200 bees per ounce, can we really accurately see a variation of 2 or 3 ounces and really compare that to what forage they should be bringing in?? might be able to see pounds, or half pounds, but how do we tie that back to forage base, and tricks to mimimize actually loss?
Charles
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