Towards a Controlled-Environment Room Suitable for Normal Colony Life of Honeybees 1. Description and General Observations

Abstract

SummaryModifications in bee flight room (BFR) construction are described which improve the chance that a honeybee colony can survive for a long period. In the BFR described a colony maintained itself for more than 18 months, foraging for all its food in the room, no food being provided inside the hive.The modifications concern the illumination of the BFR: (1) indirect lighting, over a wider angle than is normally used, produced a better and more natural angular radiance distribution (ARD); (2) high intensities of UV gave much brighter illumination to the bees than intensities of "white" light visible to the human eye; (3) the light-ripple was adapted to the high flicker fusion frequency of the honeybee eye.A device for measuring "bee brightness" and ARD is described.