Repost via @savethebeesaustralia
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#Festooning ??A Lacework of bees hanging together, leg-to-leg, between the frames of comb is called a #festoon and the behavior is called #festooning. The bees hang in sheets between the frames; sometimes the pattern is as wide and as deep as the frame itself. If you slowly separate two frames during the spring comb-building season, you can see the bees stretching between the frames likes wires on a power pole until they finally let go. A festoon is often only one layer thick, and the design is open and airy.
Beekeepers have lots of explanations for this behavior. Some say the bees are “measuring” the distance between frames, some say the structure acts like a scaffolding from which the bees build comb, some say bees can only produce wax from the festooning position.
Scientists, however, are much less confident about the function of festooning.
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Photo @girlnextdoorhoney prints available. Repost via @savethebeesaustralia
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#savethebees #beethecure #bee #bees #savethebee #rescuebees #endangeredspecies #endangeredbees #festoon #rescuetheworldtoday #rtwt