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What ddoes it feel like to be a bee?

Started by Icarus, August 13, 2019, 08:00:22 PM

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Icarus

Here is an almost but not quite philosophical discussion.  There are also some exceptional pictures of bees, almost as good as Tank's close up work.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/what-is-it-like-to-be-a-bee?utm_source=pocket-newtab

No one

I don't get what the buzz is all about!

Tank

If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Bad Penny II

Quote from: Tank on August 14, 2019, 08:00:01 AM
I'm told it has a sting in the tail.

Banned for sexism.

Quote from: Icarus on August 13, 2019, 08:00:22 PM
Here is an almost but not quite philosophical discussion.

Here is a most definite philosophical discussion.

Take my advice, don't listen to me.

billy rubin

its hard to get into the mind of a bee from the inside, but from the beekeeper's point of view bees definitely have emotions, personalities, and behaviors that reflect them.

maybe the biggest difference is that, to a beekeeper, it isnt the individual bee that isthe unit organism, its the hive. sometime a beekeeper will refer to hive by talking about the queen as if she waz the whole organism, but strictly speaking that isnt true.

a beekeeper might talk about a hive being mean, gentle, preoccupied, unhappy, busy, diztracted, or angry. not the individuals, but the entire colony at once.

a diiferent take on what a bee's mind is like, compared to the individual focus in the link.

i ran a bee outfit for a while, and im thinking of getting back into it.


"I cannot understand the popularity of that kind of music, which is based on repetition. In a civilized society, things don't need to be said more than three times."

Tank

If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Red_Cloud

"To bee, or not to bee, that is the question"
William Shakespeare

billy rubin

well , i definitely miss them, so the question is answered for me. i have one swarm in a double box in the front yard i caught this summer, not a big one. but tbe queen was okay and theyve held their own.

i ran a pollination business and raised and sold queens. i worked in california's central valley and coast ranges. i pollinated almonds, apples, cherries, squash. cucumbers, melons, watermelons, pumpkins, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, radishez, cabbage, kale, bok choy zinnias, cardoonz, celery, parsley, parsnips, and probably a number of others i cant remember.

its harder and harder to run bees in america now. competition, loss of locations, low commodity prices and fruit and vegetable imports from mexico and china. i used to sell a box of 100 queens for US$600, postage paid. now that same box is going for US$2800.


"I cannot understand the popularity of that kind of music, which is based on repetition. In a civilized society, things don't need to be said more than three times."

Icarus

 You are indeed a man of many talents BR.

billy rubin

spread pretty thin though

similar to your story in some ways, i think


"I cannot understand the popularity of that kind of music, which is based on repetition. In a civilized society, things don't need to be said more than three times."

billy rubin

almond poliination prices are way, way up from when i was there;


Quote
We polled a handful of almond growers. Here's what they're paying per hive:

Low: $150

High: $220

Average: $192.27

Just for reference, we know that Joe Traynor is charging $240 this year. Rule of thumb: if you're paying more than this and you're not 100% certain that you've got the best bees on the planet, you're doing something wrong

https://www.thebeecorp.com/post/2019-almond-pollination-prices

this is a hard business to be in. when i started around 25 years back, pollination prices were around $35 for six framez of beez.

traynor's standard was eight frames, but a hive that strong is hard to maintain as early in the year as the almonds bloom. the firzt varietiez might hit february 10th, but most are 10 to 20 days after that.


"I cannot understand the popularity of that kind of music, which is based on repetition. In a civilized society, things don't need to be said more than three times."

Tank

If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.