Research by Embrapa Meio Ambiente and the University of Bristol suggests that visually…

Research by Embrapa Meio Ambiente and the University of Bristol suggests that visually distinguishing nearby hives and altering the orientation of their entrances can decrease the drift of foraging bees in stingless bee colonies.

The study examined how the appearance and arrangement of hives affect the phenomenon known as drift, where bees mistakenly return to the wrong colony. In trials with mandaçaia bees, drift rates reached 59.5% when hives were identical and entrances faced the same direction. Introducing hives of different colors reduced this rate to 37.6%, while changing the entrance directions lowered it to 48.1%.