Flying over water?

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keithgrimes

Field Bee
Joined
May 29, 2010
Messages
614
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Location
Northumberland
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
3
I've been told that bees will not fly over 'large' bodies of water. I live next to a river which is around 200 metres across. Does anyone know if that will act as a barrier? If so, it effectively cuts the bees foraging area in half so I may have to move the hives.
 
The usual thought is about a mile.

I knew a chap whose bees flew across the river Dee to get the heather he sold by the ton to Fortnums...

Relax

PH
 
Very interesting. My hives are 500m away from the Thames by Tower Bridge and I have always assumed that they would show the same antipathy to "crossing the river" as most Londoners do !
 
Off the top of my head the minimum isolation the Germans require for their mating islands is 2 miles. Of water that is...LOL

PH
 
Very interesting. My hives are 500m away from the Thames by Tower Bridge and I have always assumed that they would show the same antipathy to "crossing the river" as most Londoners do !

come on,, we all know that only applies to drivers of black cabs.
 
Rochdale in Lancashire boasts of having the worlds widest bridge :).

Certainly not the longest ! Boast comes from most of the town being built over the river Roach :)

John Wilkinason
 
I've been told that bees will not fly over 'large' bodies of water. I live next to a river which is around 200 metres across. Does anyone know if that will act as a barrier? If so, it effectively cuts the bees foraging area in half so I may have to move the hives.

Which river in Northumberland is 200 metres across? Are you at Berwick or Blyth?
 
Their was a bit on look north a few months ago about bees being kept on the top of Fenwicks department store in the middle of Newcastle and they claimed that the bees flew across the tyne to Gateshead using the bridges
 
Which river in Northumberland is 200 metres across? Are you at Berwick or Blyth?

I'm almost at the mouth of the River Wansbeck, North of Blyth. Since they built the weir the ex tidal flats are now permanently filled and very wide (although shallow)
 

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