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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Stan Sandler <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 24 Jul 2001 07:56:21 -0400
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>
>What direction does a swarm of bees, in an empty box, build the comb? North,
>East, West, or South?

Hi Lionel and All:

A very elegant paper was published on this that showed the swarm will build
the comb in the same plane with relation to magnetic north as the combs in
the parent hive from which the swarm issued.  If an electromagnetic coil
was wrapped around the empty box to shift apparent magnetic north then the
combs would be build shifted the same amount (showing that the bees were
using electromagnetic sensory ability).  The memory of the original plane
lasts about nine days in the swarm.

The paper is:
Orientation of Comb Building by Honeybees;  David DeJong;  Journal of
Comparative Physiology;  1982;  147:  495-501

The references in that paper refer to several papers on the optimum
arrangement of combs relative to the entrance direction and says there is
not agreement, but that at least two papers, one studying skeps, and one
studying tree nests show no preferred direction relative to the nest
entrance or to magnetic north.

Regards,
Stan

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