Mark Michel wrote (on BEE-L, in part):

>North American persons will be able to view a PBS television program " Tales
>of the Hive", this coming Tuesday.
>Everyone else can enjoy their web site http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bees/
>I hope the program is as interesting as the web site.

   May I insert a bit of reality.  As beekeepers and others watch the
program, they might well consider a few relevant facts provided earlier on
this network:

 1) In its half century of existence, the bee language hypothesis has
provided no practical benefit to beekeepers;

 2) Apparently no one has been able to repeat James Gould's experiments and
obtain his results (a requisite before one should accept such results);

 3) Language proponents no longer seem able to phrase a concise scientific
statement (one with predictive power) of their favored hypothesis, a
necessary condition for future quality research;

 4) Much evidence has accumulated that sharply conflicts with the original
1946 Karl von Frisch interpretation (Wenner, A.M. and P.H. Wells 1990, Kak,
S.C. 1991, Vadas, R.L. Jr. 1994;

 5) A 1937 von Frisch interpretation about odor search behavior has more
validity than the highly touted language notion (Wenner, A.M. with K. von
Frisch 1993).

[ I can readily furnish any of the above mentioned articles,given a mailing
address. ]

   Those interested might also read a letter of mine that I believe will
appear in the January issue of the AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.

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   When all is considered, perhaps the NOVA program might better be titled,
"Fairy Tales from the Hive."

                                                        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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*     "The history of physics is the history of giving up cherished ideas."

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*                               Andrew Strominger, Harvard physicist (1999)
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