> >Anyway, does anybody have an opinion or knowledge on the question
> >of the randomness or otherwise of bees' leaving the hive?  Perhaps
> >someone might be interested in making some observations.
>
> I've noticed a similar phenomenon with yellowjackets that I've been
> collecting as they _return_ to the nest (when I start collecting the
> "cadres" _leaving_ the nest seem to correlate highly with my
> thumping on on the nest envelope ;-).
 
An explantation of this phenomenon - which also occurs noticeably in
honeybees - is that the bees are riding or bucking a breeze as they
return and when there is a lull, they are able to descend and come
in more easily, so it seems a group has arrived.
 
This is not to discount other reasons.
 
Regards
 
Allen
 
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                                    VE6CFK
Rural Route One, Swalwell, Alberta  Canada  T0M 1Y0
Honey. Bees, Art, & Futures <http://www.cuug.ab.ca:8001/~dicka>