Subject: Bees do not like kerosene fumes

From: [email-masked] (John Savage)
Date: 23 Apr 94 05:47:38 GMT

I remember when my father began beekeeping -- he started with just three
hives, and cared for them meticulously.  (Actually, he bought them off my
brother and me when our schoolboy enthusiasm for bee husbandry waned.)

Anyway, for some reason which I don't recall exactly, he used some
kerosene on or near the hives.  Perhaps he was cleaning all those dirty 
footprints off the landing ledge!, or maybe he sprayed a bit of kero on
the ground in front to keep it free of grass, I just don't recall.  The 
outcome was that the little bees packed their suitcases and prepared to 
flee. It was next morning when he noticed them massing ready for departure.
He returned them to the hive and hurriedly installed a queen excluder across
the entrance.

Hope this saves others from losing bees through such means; they just do 
not like the smell of kerosene.

P.S. kerosene is a petroleum product, called paraffin in some countries,
     it is less volatile than petrol, more volatile than diesel.
                                                      __       __
         .--_-_-_--.  _____________________________  {  \_____/  }  __________
         | (_|_|_) |                                 {           }         
      .  |  (_|_)  |                                 '~. `[ ]` .~'  Australia,
  _--_|\ |---------'      John Savage (visitor)        (.__=-- )    beautiful
 /      \|  Sydney       guest account courtesy:      _/ ~~~~~ \_   one day -
 \_.--._/^   2000         Macquarie  University      (w         w)  perfect
       v   OLYMPICS        Sydney    Australia        (         )   the next.
                                                       \__ _ __/
===========internet: [email-masked]=====  \_) (_/  =============