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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:14:38 -0500
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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
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Joe Lewis <[log in to unmask]>
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At the Sacramento beek convention in 2008 I heard Brian Sherriff, the UK beekeeping clothing manufacturer, present on his experiences, including clothing tests.  In South America researchers found that in keeping Africanized bees, beekeepers had a significant advantage when wearing red!  I looked at some of his suits which are available in many colors including red.  I found it also interesting that Sheriff uses a slick but porous material very similar to what I know as Dupont F111 ripstop, commonly used in making ram air parachutes.  Apparently it is so slick the bees legs have difficulty grabbing it!

The explanation of what bees "see" and don't see is a lot more complicated than we know.  Just because they may not detect red does not mean they see black.  Bees have an entirely different range of frequency reception and their system of reception does not correspond to that of humans.  For example bees see UV and sense magnetic fields, humans don't.  I am continually amazed at our way of considering complex mechanisms in human terms!   

Also for working Africanized bees, I understand that spraying a light coat of white paint on the outside of the black veil (screen portion) results in significant advantages - reduced direct attacks.

For one source of info on bee eyesight, how and what they "see", pls refer to "The Honey Bee" by Gould and Gould. 
Joe
Harford Honey
MD - USA 

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