I have started the stage 2 of my experiment on teaching or training the bees to use the plastic tube as their hive entrance. Last night I added about 2 more inches of plastic tube. This morning, around 7 am, I found the bees to be doing just fine. Although, some of the bees were a bit hesitant on crossing to and jumping out of the extended tube. At stage 3, I can probably connect the tube to the new hive, or maybe at stage 4 if I really want to play it safe. Why go on stages you might ask? Why not connect a new hive from the start? Well, that is what I did initially and I think the bees became stressed. It was already 9 am and very few have emerged from the hive. Some bees finally managed to get out through the gaps they found between the coconut and the hive, and did not use the tube. Upon returning, they did not know how to enter the hive. So, to avoid stressing the bees, I decided to do the experiment in stages, but it is taking a bit of time, as I wait for the bees to adapt to the new environment. Initially, I underestimated the intelligence of the bees and aborted the experiment prematurely... I guess. But now, given enough time, I think before the end of the day, the bees will eventually find the entrance to the new hive on my initial setup.
Here are some video clips:
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