I have had the good fortune to witness 2 total eclipses, both in eastern Oregon. As far as the bees reaction it was not dramatic. Just like when an impending thunder storm is approaching the field force heads for home. When conditions return to normal they go about their business. I suspect that the in hive force takes little notice at all. 

We humans tend to put all sorts of meaning into what is in fact a shadow. A great photo I saw recently of an eclipse taken from the Russian Mir station showed a large part of the hemisphere with a circle shadow grading from light gray at the periphery to black in a small section in the center. From afar pretty commonplace but a sight to see if you are in the brief totality. The moon as are all celestial objects is casting a shadow at all times. Hitting your spot on earth is really not a big deal. The most noticeable reaction I saw was that while we made an effort to get to some high ground where we could see the shadow advancing and passing a lot of traffic on the interstate just kept rolling. To see some just put on the headlights and keep going while others think that it is a life changing event is a study in human psychology, not astronomy. For the bees an hour after I think it is not remembered.  

Paul    

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