Pictures of how you paint your mating nucs

[Icing Sugar]

Hi folks,

This coming year I will have 7 nucs and probably as many mating nucs in the apiary nearest to my house. I would like to make each nuc as distinctive as possible in order to minimise drift (esp. of queens returning from mating flights).

Of course, I will:

• make full use of the available garden space
• position these nucs in a non-regimented fashion
• face the nucs in different directions
• use bricks/stones/other items on or adjacent to each nuc

in an attempt give each nuc distinguishing features for orientation purposes.

However, I would also like to paint each entrance differently. I understand that:

• Honey bees see a different colour spectrum to humans (yellow, blue-green, blue and ultraviolet) and that von Frisch considered white*, blue, yellow and black to be the best colours for painting hive entrances in close proximity to each other. (*He also demonstrated that bees could see two types of white (one with UV in it and one without) and that different red colours are seen somewhere along a grey-black spectrum).
• Honey bees don't distinguish between differently-shaped blocks of colour particularly well (e.g. solid squares, circles or triangles of the same colour on equivalent backgrounds). Nor do they distinguish between different linear patterns particularly well (e.g. stripes, crosses, outlines of shapes of the same colour on equivalent backgrounds). As far as I can see, what they seem to be good at is simply spotting boundaries between different colour combinations within their visible spectrum.

With these things in mind, I wondered if any of you would mind showing me how you paint your nuc entrances to minimise drift between them? I suspect that many of you will be far more artistically creative than I am when applying these rules and I would like to learn from you!

Also, do any of you know which white paints on the market reflect UV and which ones don't?

Thanks.

 

[Finman]

.
Put them a little bit apart, and an entrance to different direction. No need to make a heep, where they drift.

 

[Icing Sugar]

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Put them a little bit apart, and an entrance to different direction. No need to make a heep, where they drift.

Thanks Finman, I will certainly be doing that as already indicated.

I guess that one of the differences between us two-hive hobbyists and large-scale high-yield honey farmers is that we can entertain these little whims.

Any pictures of entrance patterns still gratefully received. It is all part of the hobby.

 

[Finman]

Yoh just paint them

 

[wightbees]

I have seen pictures where they are out in a semi circle, sounds reasonable to me

 

[Little John]

Location is the most important factor, followed by entrance orientation (direction). Then nearby landmarks. Colour comes way down the list of what's important.

Having said that, I paint mine - 'cause they have to be painted anyway - so why not use different colours ? And doing this brightens up an otherwise visually very dull apiary ...

Apparently shapes and patterns have more effect than block colours (which is what I've used) - can't bring myself to play at graffiti artist - I'm far too conventional for that.
LJ

 

[Millet]

I remember reading somewhere that when the bees are in full flight they are colour blind, so picking a colour out at distance is not going to happen, they switch the colour back on when they slow down and circle the area, i also read that plain coloured hives can be hard to distinguish among one and other, the bees seem to find the right hive better with a painted pattern of different colours with a different black symbol on each hive/nuc.

 

[Madge]

...can't bring myself to play at graffiti artist - I'm far too conventional for that.
LJ

Playing graffiti artist is probably a good idea. Any pattern, drawing, picture will do (for example, traditional hives with painted pictures on them).

In Lesley Goodman's book 'Form and Function ..." he (or she?) says bees can't easily distinguish a solid pattern from another solid pattern, or an open pattern from another open pattern (as you've mentioned, IS) - but they can easily distinguish a solid pattern (for example, a solid-coloured disc) from an open pattern (for example, a cross).

But with seven nucs - as LJ said - where and how you place them in relation to each other will probably be the greatest help.

 

[Millet]

Playing graffiti artist is probably a good idea. Any pattern, drawing, picture will do (for example, traditional hives with painted pictures on them).

In Lesley Goodman's book 'Form and Function ..." he (or she?) says bees can't easily distinguish a solid pattern from another solid pattern, or an open pattern from another open pattern (as you've mentioned, IS) - but they can easily distinguish a solid pattern (for example, a solid-coloured disc) from an open pattern (for example, a cross).

But with seven nucs - as LJ said - where and how you place them in relation to each other will probably be the greatest help.

If you know nothing about mice and unsure about vaping poly hives how can you know this is true..not a nit pick but i'm confused.

 

[Madge]

If you know nothing about mice and unsure about vaping poly hives how can you know this is true..not a nit pick but i'm confused.

What on earth are you jabbering about now? Whatever it is, it's got nothing to do with what I've posted.

 

[Millet]

What on earth are you jabbering about now? Whatever it is, it's got nothing to do with what I've posted.

It has. ?

Just ignore me Melli..

 

[Little John]

Anton Janscha used to paint the front of his Krainer-Bauernstock hives with political satire sketches - there are examples of these on the web, if you 'do a Google' for them. Very beautiful creations. Here's one:

Wish I had that talent - about the best I could manage would be some kind of crude cartoon - like 'Kilroy was here' ...
LJ

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Random colours yes, but position is more important. If they're close, then direction will also help.

 

[For want of a better word]

Load of poppycock about colours design etc.... but place high 39 inches above the ground on posts and set on leylines so that queens can navigate back to them... most all of my polly mating Keilers are green or Cornish cream... as that was the paint I had !

Yeghes da

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Is there a map of key lines ??

 

[For want of a better word]

Is there a map of key lines ??

No... because they do not exist!

However I use a pair of L shaped 1/8th wire dowsing rods... about 12 inches long.
Held parallel as you walk through your apiary site they will move when you locate / sence some kind of anomaly in the Earth field.... detecting the site and "lines" that bees will possibly uses to navigate?

Works for some but not all.......

Absolutely no scientific evidence as yet to date... poo-pood by many as " they " can not sence the force or whatever it is!

The correct frame of mind is required... think... where would the bees like to set up a nice mating nuc.

I have found water... lost polly pipe mains pipes... even an old mine adit... it depends what you "ask for"...

Yeghes da

 

[Beefriendly]

Bee have good colour vision (reds excepted) and are able to discern many shapes with ease. How else would they find flowers if they couldn't see (and smell) them and navigate their way back home if they couldn't recognize landmarks.
My mating nucs and landing boards are painted with shapes and patterns that bees should be able to distinguish between; as described in J and C Goulds book the Honey Bee.

Due to flight restrictions in one apiary all my hives face the same direction. To date I've not encountered any drifting (drones excepted) and I keep three different strains of bees in this apiary so it would be easy to see.
Alternatively they may all have excellent orientation skills. Who knows for sure

 

[Erichalfbee]

Is there a map of key lines ??

https://www.tomscott.com/ley/

Or dowsing rods

 

[Millet]

Bee have good colour vision (reds excepted) and are able to discern many shapes with ease. How else would they find flowers if they couldn't see (and smell) them and navigate their way back home if they couldn't recognize landmarks.
My mating nucs and landing boards are painted with shapes and patterns that bees should be able to distinguish between; as described in J and C Goulds book the Honey Bee.

Due to flight restrictions in one apiary all my hives face the same direction. To date I've not encountered any drifting (drones excepted) and I keep three different strains of bees in this apiary so it would be easy to see.
Alternatively they may all have excellent orientation skills. Who knows for sure

Have you had a read of The Buzz About Bees, there is a interesting chapter in the book about how the bees see colour in different wavelengths and so on, i have not read the book properly but what i have read is interesting.

 

[Millet]

https://www.tomscott.com/ley/

Or dowsing rods

I used to help a old farmer many moons ago when fixing his broken field drains, he had a uncanny knack of finding where they where broken 3ft underground by using dowsing rods.