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Washing Boarding; MYSTERY?

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Ben Framed:
I have read several 'theories' of why honeybees may washboard. Last I heard nothing concrete on the matter had been resolved. Has any research thus far 'revealed' the reason/reasons why honeybees washboard?

Phillip

BeeMaster2:
Bees are working out/Calisthenics. They don?t have gym membership. 😆
I think they are cleaning the area.
Jim Altmiller

The15thMember:
I found this on Honey Bee Suite:

--- Quote ---Katie Bohrer and Jeffrey Pettis of the USDA-ARS Bee Research Lab studied washboarding bees and discovered a number of things.

The washboarders were all worker bees.

They started washboarding at 13 days old.

The peak amount of washboarding occurred in workers between 15-25 days old.

Washboarding increased from about 8 a.m. to about 2 p.m. and then remained constant to as late as 9 p.m.

When given three different surfaces, the washboarding increased as the surface became more textured. Slate produced the most washboarding, followed by unpainted wood, and then glass. The surface-type data, however, did not produce statistically significant results.


--- End quote ---

The statement I find most interesting is the peak washboarding age.  When I cross-reference that age group with the worker jobs chart in Mark Winston's bee biology book, that means that washboarders are mostly NOT of foraging age.  The mean (average) age of a first foraging trip is 23 days.  That makes me question the idea that washboarding is a job that only occurs when the bees have nothing else to do, i.e. when there is no flow, since the foragers are not the ones washboarding predominantly.   

Ben Framed:

--- Quote from: BeeMaster2 on August 04, 2022, 08:27:17 pm ---Bees are working out/Calisthenics. They don?t have gym membership. 😆
I think they are cleaning the area.
Jim Altmiller

--- End quote ---

> Bees are working out/Calisthenics. They don?t have gym membership. 😆

Haa haa  :cheesy: why not? lol  :grin: I like it Jim..


The15thMember

--- Quote ---The statement I find most interesting is the peak washboarding age.  When I cross-reference that age group with the worker jobs chart in Mark Winston's bee biology book, that means that washboarders are mostly NOT of foraging age.  The mean (average) age of a first foraging trip is 23 days.  That makes me question the idea that washboarding is a job that only occurs when the bees have nothing else to do, i.e. when there is no flow, since the foragers are not the ones washboarding predominantly.   
--- End quote ---

You reasoning seems sound to me Reagan. Good research :cool: as always! 

Phillip

Michael Bush:
I don't remember seeing washboarding in a dearth. 

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