So, I'll disagree with Peter's argument that seems to say - if bees select  
a cavity that limits storage space, why do they need to assess honey stores 
- and Peter, correct me if I've stated this wrong.

Well, that's not what I was saying. I was saying that they do not have a way to compute how much honey they have and how long it would last. 

And -- The criteria for picking a nest have been worked out over millions of years, and no doubt includes having enough room to store honey of a certain critical mass, whatever that is. 

Obviously, they have no way of knowing IF the cavity will be suitable and if it will have enough room for the worst case scenarios, which often occur. 

But in the long run they have fine tuned the cavity size that they will accept based upon an evolutionary feedback loop. Or so it would appear to me.

PLB

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