Wait a minute, what are you guys feeding me.

[Acebird]

As the title says,bees are suppose to be following the angle of the sun and not temperature. So what does the temperature have to do with the angle of the sun? Yes it has been a warm / mild winter but the angle of the sun and the solstice has not changes so why are bees acting a head of schedule? It has got to be temperature as in degree day not the angle of the sun that drives their calendar.

[hoodswoods]

I don't know about the "suppose to" part re solstice, angles, degrees, but it seems to me that nature adapts each season according to possibly a lot more factors than we consider. We are in for a hard freeze tonite (covered some folage) after generally weeks of spring-like temps that the bees have been responding to accordingly - with 70 degrees expected by the end of the week - may nip a few buds and cause a night of clustering by the girls, but both will be back at it come mid-day tomarrow, none the affected.

Other than some out-of-the-norm situations, moving ahead with normal preps should get us thru, or we'll learn otherwise - and guess wrong again.

I expect that folks need to be watching for swarms & prep., being watchfull of their feeding (back-fill or starve) and, if mild winter, an early start to varroah & SHB).

I freak out when they are small and die, I freak out when they are too big and active - I'm paranoid, so forget everything I said.

[AmericasBeekeeper]

You are confusing two solar angles.
Solar declination, and the associated seasons and degree-days are not known to be recognized by bees.
Right ascension or hour-angle is the solar navigation bees use.

[A'sPOPPY]

Example for my area : Late Feb early March usually loads of maple pollen, this season above average temps allowed bees to add maple nectar and lots of it. Ahead of normal for March 5th definitely ! Some Queens are laying in 3 boxes already.

[JD's Bees]

Ace just to confuse you even more colonies wintered indoors in total darkness and kept at a constant temperature follow a cycle very close to outdoor wintered colonies.

[Bsweet]

Seems to me the solar angle is used in navigation and temp is used for foraging. Jim

[Acebird]

You are confusing two solar angles.

Really? I have seen many a chart plotted with the solstice as a marker.

Ace just to confuse you even more colonies wintered indoors in total darkness and kept at a constant temperature follow a cycle very close to outdoor wintered colonies.

I am not too sure about this either. What is total darkness? Just the visible light spectrum. Many things in nature "see" much more than we do. There is a lot of sun light that gets through that isn't visible.
For instance, a few days ago we had snow and yesterday was very overcast with a bitter cold wind. The snow on the parking lot and the metal buildings was melting at a rapid rate. When that happens we have water flows down the gutters and isles. Any place where there was shade from a building or a solid obstacle the snow stayed powdery. I have noticed this phenomena many times. I am not sure bees cannot see the sun inside a building.

[Gibbus]

I have seen many a chart plotted with the solstice as a marker.

I think, as with many navigational insects, only the azimuth of the sun matters, not its elevation above the horizon.

I am not sure bees cannot see the sun inside a building.

Since they have the ability to see polarization of light, they wouldnt need to see the sun, only a bit of light from anywhere. Now, total darkness, I dont know about - interesting to learn more about it. But like you said many thing in nature can 'see' more than we can, and (though I know they dont see in x-ray), maybe other forms of the electromagnetic spectrum penatrate our "total darkness" confine and allow them to act accordingly.
But I dont know - I just find the **** things fascinating!

[tsk]

Unless bees are great at seeing radio waves, total darkness on the visible light spectrum is going to translate to total darkness on the electromagnetic spectrum. The Sun gives off a variety of light but by and large all that gets through our atmosphere is visible light (maybe some stray UV) and some radio waves. The UV waves will get blocked out of a building the same as visible light.

That only leaves the radio waves. The amount of radio waves emitted by the Sun is small compared with visible light and highly unlikely to be "visible" over all our radio communications without an aimable antenna (which is going to be larger than a bees body).

I am not too sure about this either. What is total darkness? Just the visible light spectrum. Many things in nature "see" much more than we do. There is a lot of sun light that gets through that isn't visible.
For instance, a few days ago we had snow and yesterday was very overcast with a bitter cold wind. The snow on the parking lot and the metal buildings was melting at a rapid rate. When that happens we have water flows down the gutters and isles. Any place where there was shade from a building or a solid obstacle the snow stayed powdery. I have noticed this phenomena many times. I am not sure bees cannot see the sun inside a building.

[Rick 1456]

Ladies and Gentlemen. Tonights bout will be between Sunny Man Solstis and Angle Boy Rodriguez. Rules are, you cannot mention Evolution. Refereeing this bout,,,,,,,Sponge Bob!!!
Sorry,,,,couldn't resist

[Acebird]

Unless bees are great at seeing radio waves, total darkness on the visible light spectrum is going to translate to total darkness on the electromagnetic spectrum.

If memory serves me bees see infrared, passes through solid objects and is emitted by the sun. Humans can't see infrared but they can sense it. If you become blind your ability to sense infrared will improve.

[Acebird]

deleted, double post.

[tsk]

Infrared doesn't pass through solid objects anymore than red light passes through solid objects. Try grabbing a remote control, a digital camera (camera phone should work too), and a book. Push a button n the remote and look at the LCD screen of the camera. You should see the IR sensor of the remote blinking. Now do the same while putting a book between the remote and the camera. You aren't going to see that IR sensor. You also know how easily an IR remote is blocked from turning on your TV. IR doesn't go through solid objects.

[Gibbus]

.....

[Steven Ogborn]

Ok, here we go Ace. I'm gonna try to put something else into this.
There's a gravity shift after the solstice? Just like the full moon can effect animals behavior, can the gravity shift from
one hemisphere to the next be sensed? Not SEEING the inclination of light but, of gravity.
Is that why bees trapped in a darkened storage barn still begin the same progress toward spring as the ones
outside that have light shining in the entrances? Discuss.LOL

[tsk]

What causes the gravity shift at the Solstice? This sounds related to the myth of egg balancing in Spring.

[AmericasBeekeeper]

Bees do not see infra-red IR or red as we do. Bees see UV and a purple we cannot see directly.
http://beelore.com/2011/06/25/bees-dont-see-red/
http://web.ncsu.edu/abstract/science/wms-what-bees-see/

[sqkcrk]

I thought there was something phishy about what Ace thought he remembered. My recollection is that bees see RED as BLACK.

[AmericasBeekeeper]

"If memory serves me bees see infrared"
They say the memory is the second thing to go! There may be a pill for the first, but see your doctor if it last more than four hours.

[Steven Ogborn]

No tsk, that's not what I meant. I'm thinking the bees can feel the change of gravity direction at the solstice.
That's why it will coincide with the shift in light at the solstice. We might be thinking that the bees are seeing
a change in the direction of light. They could be feeling a change in the direction of gravity. Yeah, it's kind of
the same thing as why balancing eggs at the exact time of the solstice works. The bees feel it, and respond
to the gravity change.