In message <[log in to unmask]>, huestis
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>I usually wait two weeks but 10 days probably would work if in a hurry.
>Some bees may remeber old colony but I doubt most will.  Best to just bring
>bees from one yard to another.  I realize this isn't alwasys possible. Good
>luck.
I wonder if the explanation resides in the bees extraordinary
flexibility. On swarming, I gather it rewrites its memory of the
environment so as to be able to relocate to the new entrance, however
near or far it is away from the original. It follows that once all bees
have relocated, on flying, they will not remember the original site.
Since also, older bees would take to the wing immediately the weather is
right, and they are the ones that remember furthest from the original
location, that it would take few flying days to completely reset the
whole complement of flying bees. I think this reasoning would be quite
easy to test. Any evidence available?
--
James Kilty