Worldwide Beekeeping
Beekeeping => Beekeeping 101 => Topic started by: Wandering Man on June 23, 2019, 11:55:17 pm
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Do bees attack black?
I used to think it was an old wives tale (my apologies to any elderly ladies with spouses).
Then I mowed my yard wearing black barbecue gloves one year and caught over a hundred stings. I already suspected they had become hot, so I was wearing protective gear. My gloves took all of the hits:
(https://i.ibb.co/XfnyGRg/2018-04-12-Bee-Stings-after-mowing.jpg) (https://ibb.co/XfnyGRg)
When I used my GoPro to record 3Reds and I looking for the queen in a hive, the bees were all over the black camera. The hard plastic was too tough for stingers, but you could hear constant clicking, and it was difficult to see 3Reds and I.
And finally, 3Reds and I were inspecting a hive earlier this week and the black stylus end of my pen got attacked:
(https://i.ibb.co/r3z61f7/2019-06-21-Stylus.jpg) (https://ibb.co/r3z61f7)
I pulled 6 stingers out of it and had to shoo the bees off the pen before climbing into the truck.
I keep the stylus handy in case I want to use my cellphone camera to take a picture.
I'm thinking about keeping a black patch somewhere safe on my bee suit to keep the bees preoccupied while I do inspections, etc.
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That might be a good idea. I've noticed dark colors are more likely to get their interest. My black dog has become terrified over the years. :)
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according to the book bees do not see colors in the same way we do but yes black or red does get them a bit excited...
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That's basically what I thought dark is not good.
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Once upon a time, I ran the weed eater in front of my hives while wearing black work gloves. Only once.
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You da bear!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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If you crouch down or bend over in the flight path, on a day when there isn't a strong nectar flow, I don't think it matters what color you are wearing! You are a predator to the guard bees! >:(