>
> >When I worked in the queen industry in No. Calif we set the nucs out
> along forest roads, turning them different directions, placing them near
> landmarks like boulders, shrubs or trees. So my practices are not based on
> personal assumptions but the hard won experience of many men, years and
> lost dollars.


We of course do the same--no one is doubting that landmarks count.  But
that is not the question at hand.  Nor is the well-known fact that bees
tend to drift to the end of rows.

The question was, do bees in yards of newly-installed packages tend to
drift to those with the most attractive queens?

Cam reported actual results from an experiment--swapping positions made no
difference.  That observation strongly supports the hypothesis that
drifting may be due to colony, or more likely, queen odor.

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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