CREE LED torch upsetting bees?

[Gilberdyke John]

I was inspecting hives this afternoon and tried using a new torch to help find eggs. Immediately upon switching on the torch bees surged out of the frames and attacked the torch. They weren't attacking the light but the body of the torch. Turned off and the bees ceased their attack. I'm wondering if these cree torches use an oscillator which runs at a frequency outside my hearing range but which acts as an irritant to Bees?
Anyone found similar effects?

 

[Jimmys Mum]

Yes! I just thought it was because the body of my little torch is black and somebody once told me bees hate the colour black.......this may of course be utter codswallop

 

[isc26]

Try wearing black gloves if you want proof. Won't be doing that again.

 

[MartinL]

If you're getting on a bit there's quite a few things that'll be outside the frequencies your thicker and therefore stiffer ear-drum will be able to detect.

That's senility for you!


P.S.

Senility is quite a separate thing from dementia, although the second is more likely to follow the first!

 

[oliver90owner]

Yes, but .... leds are low voltage jobbies and need current limiting to avoid thermal runaway. They basically pass current above about 0.6 volts and convert some of the power to light.

So there is likely a circuit somewhere to limit the current by basically 'chopping' the supply to limit the mean power. So full current on, then turned abruptly to zero. A change of current in any conductor will induce a magnetic field, not sound. The larger the rate of change, the larger the magnetic field. Similar principle to an electric generator or motor.

That is likely what is upsetting the bees.

Put it inside a coloured bag and try again. That would demonstrate it is not the colour in a very simple way.

 

[Roola]

Yes, but .... leds are low voltage jobbies and need current limiting to avoid thermal runaway. They basically pass current above about 0.6 volts and convert some of the power to light.

So there is likely a circuit somewhere to limit the current by basically 'chopping' the supply to limit the mean power. So full current on, then turned abruptly to zero. A change of current in any conductor will induce a magnetic field, not sound. The larger the rate of change, the larger the magnetic field. Similar principle to an electric generator or motor.

That is likely what is upsetting the bees.

Put it inside a coloured bag and try again. That would demonstrate it is not the colour in a very simple way.

an interesting point, cheers rab

 

[MJBee]

I use a digital voice recorder for real time hive notes and have the same problem - bees buzzing into the microphone!! - as soon as I pause recording they leave it alone.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Yes! I just thought it was because the body of my little torch is black and somebody once told me bees hate the colour black.......this may of course be utter codswallop

The body of the torch is black with torch turned on but it's still black when off
Ergo I don't think it's caused by the colour.

 

[oliver90owner]

Funny that. Neither did/do I. But the suggestion was to demonstrate to t'others. You know, they need to think before they post and need at least 100% double back-up before believing the obvious.

 

[Jimmys Mum]

Funny that. Neither did/do I. But the suggestion was to demonstrate to t'others. You know, they need to think before they post and need at least 100% double back-up before believing the obvious.

So yes, utter codswallop then

 

[Hachi]

used one from halfords, silver casing with no problems whatsoever

 

[REDWOOD]

Cree LED's are high powered And if shone into a human eye will cause temporary blindness and can leave permanent damage, could this have the same affect on bees ?
If someone shone one in my eyes I think I would become defensive to

 

[derekm]

Yes, but .... leds are low voltage jobbies and need current limiting to avoid thermal runaway. They basically pass current above about 0.6 volts and convert some of the power to light.

So there is likely a circuit somewhere to limit the current by basically 'chopping' the supply to limit the mean power. So full current on, then turned abruptly to zero. A change of current in any conductor will induce a magnetic field, not sound. The larger the rate of change, the larger the magnetic field. Similar principle to an electric generator or motor.

That is likely what is upsetting the bees.

Put it inside a coloured bag and try again. That would demonstrate it is not the colour in a very simple way.

A noise is probably being caused by the magnetic field oscillations through a piece of metal somewhere in the torch.
However, bees may have a magnetic field receptor... Google for the research.
And then bees perceive light very differently.

 

[Splodge]

Yep they use switch mode power supplies
Which oscillate between 200 hz and 5 Mhz +



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