> 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?

With all the splits and queen banks and everything I have been doing this
season, I observed the following.  I split a hive in yard A into 2 splits
and
one queen bank.  I sold one split and moved the other, along with the
queen bank to yard B over 13 miles away, where they were for (I recall but
am not positive) 6 or 7 days.  I then moved both to another location where
they stayed for 3 days more.  I subsequently move them to a location about
a quarted mile from their original location in yard A.  After 7-10 days (not
sure
exactly) and 3 moves, a small portion of populations from the split and/or
bank
returned and settled in an empty hive body that was on it's end, totally
open
with no top or bottom.  I figured after the time and interveneing moves
there
would be no problem with bees returning to the original site.  Some bees
(about a grapefruit sized cluster) thought differently.

Swarms readily reprogram.  The bees in my split and bank reprogrammed
to the location of the interveneing sites, but when moved back to close
proximity of the original location, a portion returned home.  I found this
amazing!

Aaron Morris - I think, therefore I bee!