>Bees collect stuff that's sticky because its useful. They also collect
random stuff like sawdust, as if it were food.

They don't just collect sticky stuff.  They have clear preferences.  I have
reports from two people with travel trailers that at campgrounds, that bees
chew the caulking from only one brand of trailer.  There appear to be
specific scents that elicit "propolis" gathering behavior.  Jim' mention of
"top notes" would likely apply.

The collection of sawdust is another behavior entirely, apparently related
to dusts that smell to the bees like pollen.  It is certainly not
random--they are more attracted to some dusts than others (my own
experimentation).

The behaviors for bees returning with that which they "think" is propolis
are entirely different than those for which they "think" the material is
pollen.  One is applied to the inner surfaces of the hive: the other packed
into cells as beebread.

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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