I was just wandering. Does anyone know how far a swarm of bees will travel to reach their new home? Worded another way, how far will the scout bees travel to search for that perfect new home for the colony? Do they find a new home with in the 2 mile foraging range? Just curious.
Thomas Seeley goes into a lot of detail in his book about swarms. One of the interesting topics is the "ideal" dream home bees will look for. Based on extensive studies he determined that a simple box 15"wide x 14" deep x15" tall with an entrance 1 1/4" located near the bottom, roughly 15' off the ground, highly visible but fully shaded and facing south was good. Things like the volume of the potential home play an important part.
A few years back, I saw a swarm cross from "mainland" Erie, PA, to Presque Isle peninsula. The distance across the bay alone is nearly 2 miles. It made for some interesting Marine radio chit-chat.
I have wondered if bees would cross open bodies of water! Thanks Hobie, I guess I have my answer! :lol:
