Al Lipscomb wrote (in part):

>The offspring in the "dance" area may come from the contract pollination
>area of beekeeping. Beekeepers (as well as their customers) may be making
>choices in how they handle hive placement based on their understanding of
>bee navigational abilities.

 -- clip --

> .... If the "dance" theory is incorrect then the result of the
>choices is left to chance.

   No, not only to chance --- one must factor in wind direction. My
articles in the AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL (Oct.Nov.Dec.,1998) provide
information on how one could place hives for pollination to good advantage.
In particular, study the figures in the November issue.

   In an area of prevailing winds, hives can be placed within 200m upwind
of the orchard for maximum effect, since recruited bees apparently begin
their search downwind from the parent colony and thus would already be
nearly in the orchard as they started searching.  (However, if another
orchard not under contract was then further upwind from the hives, success
could not be assured.)

   Hives can be placed much greater distances directly downwind from an
orchard, since the odor of blossoms would then drift right toward the
colonies.  The advantage here, of course, is that successful bees would fly
upwind while unloaded and downwind while loaded --- very energy efficient.
(Bees fly about 7.5 m/sec when empty and 6.5 m/sec when loaded; hence,
flight times for a few hundred meters counts for little.)

                                                        Adrian

Adrian M. Wenner                    (805) 963-8508 (home phone)
967 Garcia Road                     (805) 893-8062  (UCSB FAX)
Santa Barbara, CA  93106

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*
*  "History teaches that having the whole world against you
*       doesn't necessarily mean you will lose."
*
*         Ashleigh Brilliant's Pot-Shot # 7521, used by permission
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