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I've just moved two hives a distance of about 25 miles as the bee flies, so I'm currently resting a pulled muscle in my shoulder! This gives me time to think, which is always dangerous. ![Wink ;) ;)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Obviously, those bees won't find their way back, will they? How do they know they have been moved more than three miles? Have they measured the fact that they were confined and had a wobbly journey for fifty minutes and worked out that they had moved house? As they leave the hive the surroundings will be very different, but that would also be the case if they had moved 25 metres. But apparently, they somehow know to reorientate as soon as they leave the hive. If they didn't, they might end up a mile or so away from the new location and not know how to get back to either the new or the old location.
When you see established foragers leave the hive they seem to just belt out like a jet off an aircraft carrier. If they do that at a new location they might be compromised. I know we don't need to know the science of what's happening, we just benefit from the fact that bees do reorientate if moved the correct distance, but it would be interesting to know what prompts the bees to carefully check their new surroundings.
Obviously, those bees won't find their way back, will they? How do they know they have been moved more than three miles? Have they measured the fact that they were confined and had a wobbly journey for fifty minutes and worked out that they had moved house? As they leave the hive the surroundings will be very different, but that would also be the case if they had moved 25 metres. But apparently, they somehow know to reorientate as soon as they leave the hive. If they didn't, they might end up a mile or so away from the new location and not know how to get back to either the new or the old location.
When you see established foragers leave the hive they seem to just belt out like a jet off an aircraft carrier. If they do that at a new location they might be compromised. I know we don't need to know the science of what's happening, we just benefit from the fact that bees do reorientate if moved the correct distance, but it would be interesting to know what prompts the bees to carefully check their new surroundings.