> >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>