Add another thing to my thoughts. We do have yearly, observable 
disappearing of bees from the hive. We call it swarming. We have a 
large group that leaves and are left with queen, brood and bees.

The thing of interest here is we are left with bees. I am sure an 
entomologist out there will answer this, but what signal is there to 
those who leave to go and to those who stay to stay? Since a colony 
can cast off multiple swarms, is it only the field bees, and if so why 
multiple swarms and that they all do not leave with the first one?

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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