Tractors and Bees

[David Stewart]

Made an interesting observation yesterday that I thought I'd share. I was using a 30hp Kabota diesel pushing out an old fence approximately 50 feet from a 4 hives. These bees haven't shown any interest in me (while mowing etc) until yesterday. When I began loading the tractor and increased the rpm to around 2250, I was quickly surrounded and began receiving head butts on my face and chest (no stings). I immediately dropped the rpm back to 1500 and everything stopped. Just to test, I ran it gradually back up to 2150 and began receiving interest. At 2200 I began receiving a few head butts. I'm guessing the frequency @ 2150 was key to triggering them since I dropped back to 2100 and worked for three more hours in the same area without even a buzz. Might be handy information if you have some bees that don't like your equipment....vary the rpm a little and see if the problem doesn't go away.

David

[Michael Bush]

At 2200, you were talking to them and they didn't like what you said.

[peggjam]

That's some interesting and useful info. They didn't bother me at all last summer when I mowed the yard with the garden tractor, didn't even headbutt when I was right up in front of the hive. Musta been whispering sweet nothings to em, ah!

[dougn]

I find this interesting and useful for two reasons. One is that I also have a 30hp Kubota. Two is that I also need to do some work near my hives. I was wondering if it would bother them. They are new Buckfast and Italian hives and have so far been very gentle. They are the most curious bees we've had - often saying hello, but not a single sting yet. Thanks for the information.

[Todd Zeiner]

Wow, the word Buckfast and gentle in the same sentence. Last time I heard that was from "buckbee" refering to Brother Adam's bees.

[dougn]

Hey, now you're scaring me. We've never had Buckfast before. Maybe I'm in for a few surprises this year.

[iddee]

My weedeater has choke, half choke, and run. When near the hives, I have to run it on half choke. There they don't pay me any attention. On run, they will eat me alive. Yes, the RPM is definately a concern.

[scsasdsa]

if the weedeater is of the two cycle variety the smoke generated at half choke probably kept them away.

[tuvold]

Hey,

New to this forum and its great. It has answered quite a few of the questions I have about becoming a beekeepeer. I will be moving to Illinois in a couple of years and plan on starting a few hives for pollination and honey. I have been gathering as much info about this as I can.

Any rotating mass produces a sine wave. If the amplitude is large enough and the frequency within the human auditory range you can hear it. Has any one been near a large electrical generator and hear the fast racheting sound? If you have what you are hearing is the 60 cycle (Hertz) sine wave produced. 60 hz is toward the low end of the spectrum. Look at the front of your equalizer on your stereo, its probably 30 or 40 Hz. When I was in the navy alot of our older equip was 400 Hz and it was really hard to take. It didn't take too much exposure to give you a headache and some even got nuaseous from it.

I don't know the auditory range of bees and have never raised them but I think that Stewaw and iddee's machine's are putting out something that the bees aren't happy about. So change the rpm and you change the frequency. Maybe the bees are country and the engines are putting out rap. LOL.

My 2 coppers,

tuvold

[Flewster]

Tuvold......did you work on aircraft? I worked on EA-6B and of course all aircraft use 400hz systems......

[R.L. Bee]

I posted last week about my bees gathering on the front of the hive while I was working with the tractor close by, trying to find out what they were telling me, Now I know. They were telling me they didn't like it.

[tuvold]

Hey Flewster,

CV-64 OE DIV Data Systems Technician 84-88. Think I still have one of VA-196's t-shirts around. Great birds IMHO.

We had several pieces of electronic equipment that used 400Hz and we maintained the generators in our space.

Judging from the various reactions of myself and others around those freqs, I think different freqs could be bothering those bees. Of course I could be out in left field somewhere also. The only thing I know about bees I learned here.

My 2 coppers,

tuvold