>There is a study on bumble bees that notes that a patch is worked better
when the bees are located *away* from the patch... maybe they like having a
poop in the great outdoors before they settle down to bring in the goodies?!  

If bees tend to poop close to the hive, foraging there is more likely to
pick up pathogens and that will provide selection pressure in favor of
colonies that prefer to forage further away.

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