strays

When several thousand bees and a queen are placed in new surroundings-which happens when the swarm enters its new domicile or a package of bees is installed, or a colony is moved to a new location-normal flight of some workers from the entrance may occur within minutes. If flowering plants are available, bees may be returning to the hive with pollen within an hour. Bees transferred by air from Hawaii to Louisiana and released at 11:30 a.m. were returning to the new location with pollen loads within an hour. Package bee buyers in the Northern States have noticed similar patterns in bees shipped from the South.What causes this virtually instant foraging by bees? What determines whether they collect pollen, nectar, or water? If food and water in the hive are sufficient, why should they leave to forage?Answers to these questions may lead to our directing bees to specific duties we desire accomplished. The work shown here entitled "strays" examines a wandering self organizing system similar to what is being suggested with the bees. I have been thinking this week that wandering is part of life and an important part of finding what is vital to creating self-sustainablity in the hive.