Sunday, March 20, 2011

Honeybee Sighting Project


View Honeybee Sighting Project

Click on the above link to see the Honeybee Sighting Project in action. You will need to zoom-zoom in on the Beacon NY area.

Last Saturday was such a nice day, wasn't it?
Made all the nicer by the two honeybee sightings that I had while walking around Beacon, and the two more that I heard of from friends the next day!
I was struck by two thoughts. The first was "Where are they coming from? It was a cool enough day that the girls would not be wandering too far from home, and yet the bees that I spotted were on opposite ends of town. The second thought was how poetic it was that in spotting these bees, the three of us (myself and the other two who told me of their sightings) were linked together by the path that the bees had taken, starting from their hive and passing by us in their travels. I imagined a line drawing casting its web over the town in the form of the flight of the honeybees.

Naturally (to me at least), this got me thinking of a possible "honeybee sighting project", in which I will collect data (day, time, place) from folks who spot honey bees on any given day, and use that data to triangulate where the bees might be living, as well as illustrate the possible path that the girls might have made as they wended their way through town.

And so I invite you to let me know when you spot a honeybee. All I need is the date and location. Out of state is fine. Other countries are fine. Next door is fine.
Please note: There is NO OBLIGATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS. It is meant only for folks who find that the idea tickles their fancy and would like to take part.
Most likely, it will not go on indefinitely. Maybe just till the end of April, which is when we know for sure which hives have made it through the winter.