What shapes can bees see?

[Yankee11]

I am building a 10 chamber queen mating castle. Each chamber will hold 2 frames. I am going to alternate the entrance front to back. 5 on each side.

I am wondering if I can mark each entrance with a different symbol. Or does anyone think this would be necessary. Should I stagger the entrances up and down etc. I'll post pictures as I get it built.

[Riverrat]

bees see any shape its some colors they cant see. I have seen people put different designs on there hives to help the bees but have no idea if they work.

[Yankee11]

Do you think the queens will have a hard time coming back into the same entrance they leave from? 

[Perry]

No more so than any other bee I'd think. I don't think putting some sort of differentiating mark near an entrance would hurt anything so why not?

[lazy shooter]

I agree with Perry.  I don't see any downside.  If there's no downside, there is only level ground and upside. 

[Yankee11]

Ok, heres what I got so far tonight. Havn't done the entrances yet.  Should be interesting to see if it works. May paint 2 color stripes and use 2 symbols on the long sides and put the 2 end compartments exits on the the short sides.

[Bakersdozen]

bees see any shape its some colors they cant see. I have seen people put different designs on there hives to help the bees but have no idea if they work.

Bees can see shapes.  Some beekeepers mark their hives with shapes and symbols when, for example, the hives are positioned along a fence row.  It helps control drifting.
They also can do face recognition.
I will try to remember where I read these tidbits of information, but I don't recall now.

[Yankee11]

Looks like they can see Blue, Green, Black for sure.

I will use those 3 colors. Maybe yellow?

[Ziffa]

I read the same thing as Bakersdozen about shapes and faces.  Evidently entrances marked with shapes or patterns are more recognizable to the bees than different colors.

I read it in a book called "The Buzz About Bees"  by Jurgen Tautz. 

love,
ziffa

[riverbee]

my humble opinion yankee, i think you are over thinking this but like perry said, it doesn't hurt to paint symbols. it doesn't hurt to paint different colors either.  honey bees have  incredible olfactory senses, sight and gps/navigation system.  i think there is something to be said about painting different colors or perhaps a symbol or something distinguishing on a hive, but i think this really goes overall to their orientation/sight/navigation/olfactory to their home.  (with that said i have had virgin queens wind up in queen right hives), not sure about their navigation.....

for example, lets say you have a hive painted different colors, or with symbols on it, and you move that hive one foot, or you are doing a check with the inner cover or the top deep off or a divide. ever notice that your incoming foragers are flying in right on target looking for the upper entrance? and confused, flying up and down looking for what they are accustomed to. just like an airplane programmed for auto pilot, except honey bees also have all of the other incredible biological senses to help them. 

i wish you well on your queen castles!

 

[iddee]

If you really want them to find home, paint a nose, cheek, or eye at the entrance. They will hit the bullseye every time.   :'( :'( :'(

[Yankee11]

Now that's funny iddee. I didn't of that.

Thanks everybody,  I may start with just white box and see what happens. Then do more if I a lot of queens don't return.

I just picture a queen leaving for her mating flight. Mating , then flying back to the box and as she gets close going, Uh Oh, there
are 4 holes on the side of this box. Which one did I fly out of. 

Should be interesting to see what happens.

[litefoot]

Yankee, can I make a suggestion? Why don't you make an entrance on each end and then have 4 entrances on the sides. Might cut down on the congestion on the sides.

[Yankee11]

Thanks litefoot,

I will do that.

[apisbees]

You may not only have a problem with queens but also workers drifting from one unit to another. But give it a try, if it don't work it is easy to cut it in 1/2, add 2 sides and run 2 - 4 compartment 2 frame mating boxes.

[Yankee11]

Almost done.

[apisbees]

You could of further distinguished the entrances on the sides apart by putting 2 near the top.   

[Bakersdozen]

I was thumbing through someone's copy of a Bee Culture magazine yesterday at a bee club function.  There was an article that touched on the topic of what bee's see.  Bees see geometric shapes and the colors you mentioned earlier Yankee, yellow, green and black.  They can't see red and I'm not sure about blue.  It also seems their vision is somewhat "pixilated".

Your queen box looks really nice. 

[Yankee11]

Thanks,

I found this while researching this. It was on another forum dated 2004.



    On the subject of bee vision in reference books the classic example shows two rows of figures.

    The upper row contains:
    a solid circle,
    a solid square,
    a solid triangle
    a single shape similar to a large slash /

    The lower row shows:
    a large x,
    a diamond outline shape,
    four thick vertical lines,
    a shape similar to the letter Y.

    Bees reportedly can distinguish any figure in the upper row from any figure in the lower row and vice versa. They cannot, according to the books, distinguish between figures in the same row

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