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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Allen Dick <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 13 Jun 2001 03:44:32 -0600
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> >Sadly bees don't *like* dogs.

> This is unfortunate.  My neighbor's yard abuts on my yard about 12 feet
> from my hive.  They have 2 Labrador Retrievers and a small mixed breed...

> I wasn't even aware that bees don't like humans' breath until I read the
> article in ABJ.

I am starting to notice a lot of generalizations creeping into discussions.
About bees.  About dogs.  About everything.  Generally speaking, generalizations
are of limited usefulness at best,  and can create fear and misunderstanding at
worst.

There are a lot of different bees in different places and a lot of different
dogs and a lot of different owners of each, and a lot of different regions and
climates where all the possible permutations and combinations of the above can
come together -- and a lot of possible interpretations of what happens when they
do...

Some bees are vicious.  Some owners are not careful how they handle them.  Some
bees that are quite nice to manage and be around in one region become hot when
moved to another.  Most, if not all, bees are meaner in one season of the year
than another.  Some dogs are big and black and stink.  Some dogs are small and
white and tiny and smell better than their owners.  Some bees react adversely to
human breath and others retreat when gently blown upon.

I have had dogs around bees with few problems.  Of course there is always a
training period during which an inquisitive dog learns about bees and to keep an
appropriate distance, but usually in my experience dogs are quick learners and
can figure out the deal if they are not tethered or confined near the hive with
no escape.

Confined or restrained and unsupervised animals (or people such as children or
invalids) being tethered or fenced or parked in the vicinity of active bee hives
is not IMO, a good idea.  Unanticipated things can happen to provoke bees and
they are not always discriminating or predictable in the chosen targets of their
defensive behaviour -- or the extent of their reaction.

It is very hard to generalize with any certainty, but potential incidents are
foreseeable to some extent, as are the consequences.  Where the consequences are
more likely and more severe, more caution is prudent.

As for breath and bees, I often blow gently on bees to get them moving them on a
brood comb being inspected, and sometimes I am not wearing a veil when I do so.

allen

http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/

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