Subject: finding wild bees

From: Eddie Nickens <[email-masked]>
Date: 12 Mar 1996 22:54:35 GMT

Hello! I write the nature column for The Discovery Channel's Discovery 
Online magazine, and I have a question I thought you folks could help 
with. I've heard about a way to find wild honeybee nests -- you simply 
burn a few heavily floral scented candles outside, on warm days in early 
spring, and sooner or later bees will find the scent. Then you can follow 
them back to their nests, following a more or less straight beeline. Myth 
or reality? Any other ways to have fun with wild bees? My column stresses 
the wildlife of familiar places, and I'm trying to come up with a topic 
and an activity that has to do with bees. Please respond to my email 
address: [email-masked]. Many thanks!

---

From: dave macfawn <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 1996 15:35:51 GMT

Finding hives in the wild was more common years ago.  Wyatt Mangum at NC State
(working on his PhD with Dr. Ambrose) has an extensive collection of trapping
boxes.  What is done is to trap several bees off the flowers, release one bee
at a time, and track the bees back to the feral nest.  You would be surprised
at how elaborate the bee catching boxes are.  You may want to give Wyatt or
Stephan Bambara a call at NC State in Raleigh.

Dave M.

>==========Eddie Nickens, 3/12/96==========
>

dave macfawn
AT&T Global Information Solutions
[email-masked]
(803) 939-7409