Joel Govostes posted the following question:
>
>Does a swarm try to find a new site some (minimum) distance away from the
>parent?  How does this work out as regarding competition for available
>forage, etc.  I have a dim recollection of reading somewhere that a swarm
>won't investigate potential home-sites that are too "close" to their
>origin.  I wonder if anyone can provide some info or references.
>
>I have always presumed that swarms that arrive and occupy empty hives at my
>bee-yards have always come from some distance away, and not from my own
>hives there.  Any comments appreciated.
 
******
 
   I suggest that you read the following two references:
 
   1991  Wenner, A.M., D. Meade, and L. J. Friesen.   Recruitment, search
behavior, and flight ranges of honey bees. AMERICAN ZOOLOGIST
31(6):768-782.
 
   1992  Wenner, A.M.  Swarm movement: A mystery explained.  AMERICAN BEE
JOURNAL  132 (1):27-31.
 
   You should be able to find the answers to your question therein.  If you
can't get copies of those two papers, please contact me directly (rather
than on BEE-L) and I can send you copies.  (Others may do so, as well.
Please, though, don't request copies unless you will really read them ---
all photocopying is out of pocket for me.)
 
*****
 
                                                Adrian
 
Adrian M. Wenner                         (805) 893-2838 (UCSB office)
Ecol., Evol., & Marine Biology           (805) 893-8062  (UCSB FAX)
Univ. of Calif., Santa Barbara           (805) 963-8508 (home office & FAX)
Santa Barbara, CA  93106
 
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