[BeeCurious]

A recent bee magazine article stated the following concerning bee space:

"The bees would leave this passageway open, neither filling it with propolis for being too narrow nor comb for being too wide."


Any comments?

 

[AmericasBeekeeper]

Bee space as suggested by L L Langstroth is making frames and other wooden ware with a space about 3/8 inch between and around combs. If the quote is from a situation where the bees tunnel through the comb that is different.

 

[BeeCurious]

It was a general description of "bee-space"...

But a tunnel through comb would be the same ie. not filled with propolis.

 

[deknow]

..think about going to the supermarket, where there is "shopping cart space".

if the aisles are too wide, the space isn't well utilized, and eventually you end up with additional product displays.

if the aisles are too narrow, 2 carts can't pass one another, leading to traffic jams.

shopping cart space allows carts to travel in opposite directions without colliding.

bee space allows for bees to walk on parallel combs without colliding. bee space is 2 bees tall.

deknow

 

[deknow]

bee space:

 

[AmericasBeekeeper]

Your bees are all black. Are they Russian or Apis mellifera mellifera?

 

[BeeCurious]

A recent bee magazine article stated the following concerning bee space:

"The bees would leave this passageway open, neither filling it with propolis for being too narrow nor comb for being too wide."

I thought the above description was a typo or an editing error... but when I checked into it I learned that the author stands behind the statement. :scratch:

 

[deknow]

...what do you think is wrong with that description?

deknow

 

[Oberlinmom]

I want to read the rest of the statement. Where is this opening? My girls will seal up areas and leave no "bee space" Or leave them open way past "bee space" as in the entry etc. So what is this statement relating too? :scratch:

 

[frostygoat]

...what do you think is wrong with that description?

deknow

Agreed, nothing wrong with it. Just like a question on a bee exam I saw.

 

[BeeCurious]

...what do you think is wrong with that description?

deknow

It is wrong.

The bee-space is too wide to be filled with propolis and too narrow to be filled by comb.

 

[BeeCurious]

I want to read the rest of the statement. Where is this opening? My girls will seal up areas and leave no "bee space" Or leave them open way past "bee space" as in the entry etc. So what is this statement relating too? :scratch:

It is from the first paragraph of an article written by Dr. Mangum in the April issue of the ABJ.

 

[deknow]

The bee-space is too wide to be filled with propolis and too narrow to be filled by comb.

oh, i see what you are saying...but no, i think you are being misled by fancy language.

neither filling it with propolis for being too narrow

he is saying "the bees would fill a space with propolis if it were too narrow"

nor comb for being too wide"

"the bees would fill the space with comb if it were too wide"

this is one of those language things that is hard to untangle once you get confused by the language.

deknow

 

[BeeCurious]

oh, i see what you are saying...but no, i think you are being misled by fancy language.

this is one of those language things that is hard to untangle once you get confused by the language.

deknow

I would suggest that "fancy language" caused the author to say the opposite of what was intended.

Perhaps a few English teachers can proofread the statement.

Reading exactly what is written can be misleading...

 

[Duboisi]

I use English as my second language, and my interpretation was just the same as deknow.

Potata-potato

 

[WLC]

Its a logic puzzle.

You could also say, "The bees would leave this passageway open, neither filing it with comb for being too narrow nor propolis for being to wide."

Now some might say that you could treat the bees as the object and say they are too wide or too narrow.

The other way you would refer to the passageway.

Either way, it ain't getting filled.

It's a poorly written statement.

 

[Roland]

I have no problems with the initial statement. Not my precise choice of words, or syntax. I also believe my bees have read it somewhere, maybe I missed the memo.

Roland