> I'm hoping someone with access and the ability to evaluate this paper can help us understand if this research is something we should give more thought to.

> In the absence of human intervention, the honeybee
(Apis mellifera L.) usually constructs its nest in a tree within a
tall, narrow, thick-walled cavity high above the ground (the
enclosure); however, most research and apiculture is conducted
in the thin-walled, squat wooden enclosures we know as hives.
The honeybees’ original nest enclosure is usually a tree with tall, narrow,
thick-walled cavity

First, do bees actually prefer tall narrow cavities in trees? It may be that they don't but that's all they can find. Tom Seeley wrote:

> Most natural nests have approximately the form of an elongate, upright cylinder. Although this generalization probably reflects the pattern of wood decay in standing trees, we tested whether bees prefer tall, elongate cavities over cube-shaped cavities. [He concluded there was] no significant shape preference under the test conditions.

> The preference for an elevated, previously occupied nest site which is beyond 300 m from the parent nest and which has a small, southward facing entrance near the nest bottom, can be reasonably interpreted in terms of adaptations for improved colony defense and foraging, simplified control of the nest microclimate, and economy in nest construction.

Seeley has done extensive experimentation with nest boxes and honey bees are certainly attracted to man made boxes, at least as much as they are to rotten trees.

PLB

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html