>Thank you to all who contributed and answered my question in >various forms. I did in fact, finally, remember where I had seen >the Eckert reference and found the information I required. I was >after, in fact, a 'scare' distance. I need to refer to the >maximum distance that bees had been known to fly to forage, >rather than an *effective* distance beyond which it is unlikely >they would forage efficiently. It related to the distance from >beehives that pest control officers were to place a substance >that was (1) poisonous to bees and (2) attractive to bees. I think it appropriate to remark once again that one must consider wind direction, since odor molecules (including noxious substances) can drift only downwind. The maximum "scare distance" downwind from a colony is only a few hundred meters; see the following reference: 1973. The search dynamics of recruited honey bees, Apis mellifera ligustica Spinola. Biol. Bull. 144:107-131. In our climate wind patterns are nearly completely predictable during summer months, making our observations more reliable than in other areas where winds are more variable. Adrian *************************************************************** * Adrian Wenner E-Mail [log in to unmask] * * Department of Biology Office Phone (805) 893-2838 * * University of California Lab Phone (805) 893-2838 * * Santa Barbara, CA 93106 FAX (805) 893-4724 * ***************************************************************