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From:
James Fischer <[log in to unmask]>
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Date:
Mon, 2 Aug 2004 23:35:58 -0400
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> I recently shook some bees from a hive 6 ft away (on open brood, make
> sure no queen) to a weak hive and most young bees walked into
> the new hive, instead of returning to their original hive!

I've seen this also, which forces me to wonder if bees too young to
guard or forage are both exempted from, and oblivious to the entire
issue of "colony odor".  It has encouraging implications for splits
and queen introductions, but I still like the simple traditional
"walk-away split" best.

> The phenomenon I mention is only observed when there has been
> an uninterrupted heavy flow underway for a few days.

Do you recall dates?  What were the daily high and low temps on
those days?  From what I've seen, temperature drops of more
than 5 degrees F can help to move bees through "bee escapes"
down to the brood chamber, and out of supers that have been
flipped on their sides atop the hives.  Large temp drops might
"trap" the bees into forming a small cluster in the super,
and waiting for warmth.

> I suspect that, in some areas of the continent, this phenomenon
> is seldom, if ever, seen, since abandonment does not work well
> except under specific conditions...

There are a number of beekeepers who do their fall harvest when there
is frost on the pumpkin, or even snow on the ground.  Under these
conditions, I can guarantee that abandonment will work every time.  :)

> ...and requires expert judgement.

In my book, use of the term "abandon" in regard to one's crop evinces
a distinct lack of even the tiniest shred of any semblance of judgment,
but down here, we are concerned with not just robber bees, but BEARS.


        jim (One of my self-burned compilation CDs for automobile
           use has songs by The Cars and The Police.  The CD is
           labeled "Police Cars")

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