# Phrase: "Sprinkle a little dust among the bees" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 13, 2014, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-sprinkle-a-little-dust-among-the-bees/690670 "2014-06-13T01:36:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Wikipedia_Cites)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-sprinkle-a-little-dust-among-the-bees/690670/1 "2014-06-13T01:36:33Z")
What does the phrase mean; from what I can tell, [this is the only cite](http://books.google.com/books?id=xfjfAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA346&lpg=PA346&dq=sprinkle+a+little+dust+among+the+bees&source=bl&ots=o3MfXgpc7g&sig=2Xhdy_6_DiN3LRlmQUV0z4kAXoQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=KFWaU9LSGomxyATskoLoBA&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=sprinkle%20a%20little%20dust%20among%20the%20bees&f=false), and it seems to mean some version of “calm contrasting parties down by distracting them” but what does it mean exactly? Do beekeepers sprinkle dust to prevent bees from fighting? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-sprinkle-a-little-dust-among-the-bees/690670/2 "2014-06-13T04:41:56Z")
Could the author be using “dust” as a synonym for “smoke”? ---
**Author:** ![No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Wikipedia_Cites)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-sprinkle-a-little-dust-among-the-bees/690670/3 "2014-06-15T17:59:00Z")
How can you sprinkle smoke? Where’s a 17th century doper when you need one? ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-sprinkle-a-little-dust-among-the-bees/690670/4 "2014-06-15T18:48:29Z")
I read something recently that indicated dusting bees with something like confectioner’s sugar will cause them to groom themselves, thereby ridding themselves of mites. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-sprinkle-a-little-dust-among-the-bees/690670/5 "2014-06-15T19:23:16Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > I read something recently that indicated dusting bees with something like confectioner’s sugar will cause them to groom themselves, thereby ridding themselves of mites. Yep, that’s one way of getting varroa mite numbers down mid season, when you can’t use anything which could contaminate the honey store. However, varroa mites have only been an issue for the European honey bee since the 1960s, and I can’t think of any other reason to sprinkle anything resembling dust on bees. Bees fighting among themselves isn’t normally much of an issue so far as I’m aware. I’m only training to keep bees yet though. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-sprinkle-a-little-dust-among-the-bees/690670/6 "2014-06-16T06:11:11Z")
I am sure one or more of my books on fungi mentions using puffball spore dust to calm bees, but I can’t find anything online to support this notion (only references to burning pieces of dried fungus to make smoke, which is not the same) ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-sprinkle-a-little-dust-among-the-bees/690670/7 "2014-06-16T13:19:04Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > {…} Bees fighting among themselves isn’t normally much of an issue so far as I’m aware. I’m only training to keep bees yet though. Pro tip: The first rule of bee fight club is; Bzzzz bzz bzzzzzz bzzz bzzz bzzzzzzz. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-sprinkle-a-little-dust-among-the-bees/690670/8 "2014-06-16T16:34:24Z")
Could it perhaps be a reference to bee lining (finding a hive by watching bees fly from a food source to the hive). Bee lining can be made easier by sprinkling a little powdered sugar or flour on the bee show they show white against the darker colors of trees. So maybe sprinkle a little dust among the bees means, see where they are coming from / understand their motivations? Far fetched, I will admit. But I can’t think of another reason to sprinkle dust on bees. -rainy