>For centuries, beekeepers have been aware of the various moods 
of honey bees; scientists are just now coming around to the idea. 
-----

Many things beekeeping, assumed to be 'recent discoveries'
are in fact rediscoveries, having been understood a hundred or more
years ago.  Many of these are cataloged in the Historical Honeybee
Articles site.   OMF's not recent, has roots nearly 100 years ago, 
size void a swarm prefers was understood long before the Seeley
study, other examples of a keen understanding of bee behavior 
among beekeepers can be found in the historical record.

Thus, the danger in always waiting for proof to be presented.  As 
exampled above.  Instead of serving to propel you forward, it can
sometimes have the effect of retarding your growth as a beekeeper.
A beekeeper not hypothesizing and not continually striving for a 
better understanding of their bees, is a non-thinking beekeeper.

I suspect that a few will take great offence to the idea that things 
beekeeping are not factual until proven factual by scientific discovery.
But as exemplified in the first to lines of this post, proof in beekeeping 
does not always come in the form of a scientific discovery.

Best Wishes,
Joe Waggle
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/HistoricalHoneybeeArticles/

  



 

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