marking your bees

Started by Mason, February 26, 2010, 06:54:57 PM

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Mason

February 26, 2010, 06:54:57 PM
I have always wondered where my bees go when they leave the hive.  It is very rare for me to see them working anything close by. 

I had an idea to spray some food coloring diluted with water on the cluster so that if I was down the street and saw a bee I may be able to identify it to the specific hive. 

Is this crazy?  Does anyone know if this has been tried?  Do you think it would it hurt the bees? 
Former beekeeper until March....maybe next year...RIP

hardwood

#1
February 26, 2010, 07:50:30 PM
I have mine wear little sweaters... each with a different alpha-numeric code embroidered on the sleeve for identification. :-D

Scott
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

fish_stix

#2
February 26, 2010, 09:02:43 PM
Dang! I like the sweater idea. Had to switch mine from short sleeved tees to long sleeved tees with this cold spell we've had. Of course, we have the company logo silk screened on their shirts so we can ID them.  :-D

JP

#3
February 26, 2010, 10:10:23 PM
Quote from: Mason on February 26, 2010, 06:54:57 PM
I have always wondered where my bees go when they leave the hive.  It is very rare for me to see them working anything close by. 

I had an idea to spray some food coloring diluted with water on the cluster so that if I was down the street and saw a bee I may be able to identify it to the specific hive. 

Is this crazy?  Does anyone know if this has been tried?  Do you think it would it hurt the bees? 

You are not crazy to consider this form of beelining: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beeline

Some use flour, some chalk, anything visible that wouldn't hurt your bees. Have fun with it & let us know about your efforts.


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

specialkayme

#4
February 26, 2010, 11:16:53 PM
In one of my beekeeping college courses (yeah, I took beekeeping in college) we saw a video of someone that tested the bee dance. He took sugar water out a ways in a field and waited by it. When a bee came to drink, he painted his back with a dot. Then watched the little girl dance inside the hive to tell everyone else where the food was.

Then, of course, they repeated it endlessly, and varied the distances and the strength of the nectar.

You could easily do something similar, although hopefully less labor intensive.

rick42_98

#5
February 28, 2010, 06:42:49 PM
Hey....This may sound crazy but you can glue an RFID chip onto your bees.  They are about the size of the head of a pin (and no, I am not a pin head) and they are so light I would doubt the bee would even feel it.  You can do this to a few bees in your hive and track them electronically.  Just a thought as I've never tried this.
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