Randy

"I've tried using Nasonov pheromone to lure bees to waterers.  I've also
tried using DEET to repel them from water sources.  To date, such efforts
have been largely unsuccessful."




I remember conversations with Dan Mayer, who when he wasn't testing pesticides, tried various attractants and repellents with varying results.  We've spent years looking at bee responses to various chemicals - since we used bees as 'canaries' to detect chemicals, and we condition (train) bees to search  for chemicals, devices, labs, dead bodies based on scent.


DARPA funded a major semiochemical study (designer attractants).  What is clear with respect to chemicals like Nasonov - the scent's effect depends on context - bees are apparently not hard-wired genetically to be automatically attracted to Nasonov.  


Bees returning to hive, especially if a storm is rolling in, obviously use Nasonov.  Swarms  appear to be attracted.  


But Nasanov on a flower or with water - some times yes, some times no.  


The company working on semiochemicals for DARPA demonstrated really high rates of attraction, but they insisted on the same pre-conditioning approach that I would have used.  They first conditioned the colony to Nasanov by combining the scent with a reward (e.g, rich syrup).  Then the semiochemical became highly attractive.  Dont condition the bees to the scent, and it failed to be attractive.


I've had problems with bees at a pond with a fountain in it.  This was in a public place, and I had an experiment ongoing, so I did not want to move the bees, but from a public nuisance and safety stand-point, I had to reduce the numbers of bees using the fountain.   I couldn't reduce it to zero, but I could reduce it to below levels readily noticed by the public.


It took a three step process  (since I couldn't move the bees) - each day, I added some Fischer's Bee Quick to the margins of the pond where the bees were landing to obtain water (repellent), then I placed a small stock tank of water with floats near the bees, in line with the flight path to the fountain, and I used Janet's findings to make the water more attractive (salt) plus I added my magic attractant -anise, so that the water had a floral scent that we find to be highly attractive to bees.


All in all, the bigger issue - make sure that in the spring, the first bee-friendly, easy to access, water source is one you provide BEFORE any of the neighbor's sources become available.   





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