Some Evidence Bees Respond to Clothing

Have you noticed that beekeepers tend to wear beige, white, tan or similar color outfits?

Jay Evans with USDA’s Research Lab said there is some evidence that the color of a person’s shirt could cause a reaction from a bee.

“There’s a bit of the mix of signals. Yellowish clothing might make them view that as a flower, as a food source. Reddish shirts in their eyes, tend to come up darker, maybe almost black.”

And that darker color, Evans noted, makes a person seem bigger and more threatening to a bee.

“So that might actually be a case where they’re seeing that shirt as a mammal, something like a bear for example, that might be breaking into their hive.”

So, when you go out to enjoy the sunshine beware of the clothes you wear.