Hi Grant & All, > Anyone with any ideas? > I had a swarm take up residence under a plywood board covering a compost pile I had last season and they too oriented their combs North to South, with face of the combs facing to the East and to the West. Anecdotally I think it has something to do with magnetic or possible the direction of the prevailing wind. . .. Keith Malone, Chugiak, Alaska USA, http://www.cer.org/, c(((([ , Apiarian, http://takeoff.to/alaskahoney/, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akbeekeepers/ , http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Norlandbeekeepers/ , http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ApiarianBreedersGuild/ -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---