>If there is still a flow going on, will the winter bees forage or do they just hang out at the hive.  If they forage will this shorten their lives for over wintering?  

I don't know if I am answering your question or something a bit different.  As a commercial beekeeper, I tend to think in terms of phenomena, not so much in terms of theory.  Theory keeps changing, but the phenomena do not, at least not so much, and not without a change in some parameter.

Hive activity in the fall depends largely on the amount of stores in the hive and any source of irritation to that particular hive.  Starvation, partial or immanent is an irritant, as is robbing.

In fall, a well-provisioned (plugged?) hive that is not being bothered by pests or robbing will typically -- in my area of Southern Alberta -- settle down and ignore potential flows and even open supplies of feed.

On the other hand, hives with little feed will fly around and bother other hives, even if there is no floral opportunity since they seem to be desperate to get up to winter weight.

Hives left short of feed in early fall will often die before Christmas, even if they are belatedly fed up to weight in late fall.

As for the physiology and theory, I have no clue.  I just know that hives should never be left short of feed and that well-fed hives settle down early and do better.

I have also noticed that yards that get a late fall flow often die over winter, especially if the late flow has no pollen.

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