Bees fetching nectar or water

[TOBY-3652]

Hi this is probably a daft question to some // some people have said on here that they have seen there bees bringing in pollen?? Nectar?? And water.. I know when there bringing in pollen because i can see it. But how do you know when there bringing either water or nectar????

 

[nottingham]

A very good question (well I think so anyway) I am looking forward to the answer because I have been beekeeping for 2 years now and I know for a fact that I have only learnt about 0.01%. When other beek's say "oh look they are bringing in nectar" I have always just agreed, so not to look like an prize prat lol.

 

[Hombre]

Angle of attack and body language ?

Imagine an empty bee and it's centre of balance, now fill it up with nectar or water and it will naturally become a little tail heavy, with a necessity to move the back legs forward to correct the centre of balance - others might correct me if I'm 180 degrees out

Now actually seeing this and registering it properly as the bees zoom about everywhere is quite a different matter.

But I hope that this helps - tail down = loaded.
Nectar, water or just on an outward personal cleansing visit.

 

[xgeordie]

I know they are bringing in water as I can see them flying from hive to pond and back again.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

I think a lot of it is guess work, but it is as xgeordie says - if they are returning to the hive from the direction of a water source it'll probably be water, if they're coming back from a large field of OSR then it'll be nectar.
I realise this doesn't help much if they're just hopping back over the garden fence!

 

[thedeaddiplomat]

Mine are bringing in both nectar and water.

How do I know? Simples:

I have a source of water in the apiary, and there are dozens - sometimes hundreds - of bees making use of it;

When I checked the hive, I saw nectar in the frames: on the assumption that this had not sat there unsealed and unused all winter, and that the nectar fairy has yet to reach Cornwall this year, I conclude that the bees must be bringing it in.

 

[richardbees]

Hombre,
With all due respect (and speaking as ex RAF Bomber Command) you always balance any onboard loading so your cg is constant and your landing aspect is the same.

Seen from the side, an empty 747 looks roughly the same as a full 747 on touch down....

 

[oliver90owner]

richardbees,-

While I might be in perfect agreement with your statement, there may be a slightly different requirement for bees. I have noticed that their pollen load is in a somewhat different area than when filled up with nectar, so their requirements need to be modified for successful flight andlanding.

So I certainly don't think Hombre is 180 degrees out at all. Your jumbo jet has a fixed silhouette, the bees have rather more variable geometry.

Regards, RAB

 

[richardbees]

RAB

Yes, I see your point but water/nectar is carried onboard whereas pollen is an external/underwing store.

Being in Lincolnshire you'll be familiar......!

rich

 

[Hombre]

I'm sure that RAB has seen enough Victors from his neck of the woods, as did I.

I guess that the carriage of the legs is the bigger clue, but I shall have to keep my peepers open and see if I can't get some pictures this year to be absolutely certain.

 

[Finman]

But how do you know when there bringing either water or nectar????

You split the bee's abdomen and put honey stomach into your mouth.

Or ask from bee a pee example..

 

[oliver90owner]

Actually the Victors (and the Vulcans?) had departed by the time I moved to near Wittering. Apparently the engines were running 24/7 for a scramble back in the 60's, so it was a little more peaceful (either meaning!) by the time I arrived in the area.

However, I have never seen an aircraft that changes it's shape (as bees can) to maintain it's centre of mass at the ideal position. I am presuming the swing wings of the Tornado etc are for air flow/lift at higher or lower Mach numbers, and not for modification of centre of mass?

Similarly, I would think a 747 with a full load of cargo and fuel might need a slightly different angle of attack (leading edges and flaps) when landing, compared to a low fuel load and no cargo situation for touch-down (limited to the landing gear to tail-plane geometry, of course).

Regards, RAB

 

[victor meldrew]

Actually the Victors (and the Vulcans?) had departed by the time I moved to near Wittering. Apparently the engines were running 24/7 for a scramble back in the 60's, so it was a little more peaceful (either meaning!) by the time I arrived in the area.

However, I have never seen an aircraft that changes it's shape (as bees can) to maintain it's centre of mass at the ideal position. I am presuming the swing wings of the Tornado etc are for air flow/lift at higher or lower Mach numbers, and not for modification of centre of mass?

Similarly, I would think a 747 with a full load of cargo and fuel might need a slightly different angle of attack (leading edges and flaps) when landing, compared to a low fuel load and no cargo situation for touch-down (limited to the landing gear to tail-plane geometry, of course).

Regards, RAB

Not even a swing wing?

JW

 

[richardbees]

I wonder if there are any aircraft enthusiast type 'plane spotters' in Libya?

 

[psafloyd]

I have a bucket near the front of the hive with a brick in it for a landing platform. However, I have never seen a bee use it. I know some have, as I've found a few dead ones in there, but never seen a live one.

Now, we have lots of water sources at the allotment, as we have many large water tansk, but there's nowhere for them to land on these.

Where else might they be acessing their water? The ground from dew? I even saw a honey bee on newly turned earth yesterday which was moister than the surrounding. Cold they get it from there?

 

[madasafish]

We have a pond and this year the bees use it (and drown as well).
Earlier they used a flower pot full of compost and water retaining gel....

Last year the bees ignored the pond and used stagnant water in a plant tray...

Bit early for nectar here.


A bee can only fly( I would have thought) by keeping its CofG at a constant position vis a vis its wings, so weight carried at the rear of the body will be compensated for by tilting the body - lowering the tail, so the moment created by the extra weight is reduced by a shorter horizontal distance from weight to CofG.

At least that's how it worked when I flew model planes...but that was a LONG time ago...Maybe the laws of physics have changed..

 

[Finman]

.
If bees get water enough with nectar, they do not separately need drinking water.

Bees intake dew droplets in early mornng.

If I put into the hive extracted frame, it starts a huge flying. I thought long that they are alarmed to find robbing place.

But now I spray a water mist on the comb. There is no a huge flying. But next morning they bring water again when they work with extracted honey..

 

[Hombre]

Today I have bees visiting a container of washing soda solution that has been diluted with rain. Landing on the scotch brite pad and sucking for all they were worth.

Snookling around in grow bags that probably were moist and reported to be browsing the plants and drinking in the ornamental pond next door.

The locals used to complain about the noise made by the Victors and seemed happy for them to go, but then found that the Harriers that arrived in their place made almost as much noise and the damned things didn't go away

 

[oliver90owner]

richardbees,

I wonder if there are any aircraft enthusiast type 'plane spotters' in Libya?

Yes, they are all called Sam, but most have been, err, dismantled by the RAF etc. And if any come up for a look, I am sure the site would be obliterated shortly thereafter!

Hombre,

I am sure I would have heard them above, but it was quite 'spooky' driving, at over a hundred, down the runway at Wittering, even though the control tower knew we were there....

Regards, RAB

 

[drstitson]

"but how do you know when there bringing either water or nectar????"

since i'm sure that (scouts aside in preparation for swarming) bees aren't keen on wasting energy on pleasure flights then it can be safely presumed that any bees returning to the hive that do not bear pollen must by definition be carrying either water or nectar.