>> But why would it matter to the bees if there's a river 40 miles away?
> Good catch. That's why you're the editor! That would be 5 miles (not 50 miles) - a local water source.
A *LOT* more local to the hive than 5 miles is the norm in my experience, closer to 50 to 150 yards (or meters).
When bee-lining, we use the triangulation approach (which Tom Seeley disparaged in his book because he cannot get it to work, I guess he was unwilling to crouch down on the ground next to a 3-chamber bee-lining box, and watch the well-fed released bee(s) *against the sky* to see them circle and head off on a vector back to their hive, which is key.) But if you have all day to spend on locating just one hive, his approach works fine, too.
But where to look in the area where one's released bee vectors converge? Invariably, go look at the nearest water feature (stream, pond, lake, whatever). In my experience, in both in my own bee-lining and teaching others, feral colonies will be most easily located with a quick hike up the stream with a sharp eye for water foragers, which on a hot day will be plentiful. I've yet to find a hive where water foragers traveled more than 150 yards, and this applied to both Virginia (George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, and along the Blue Ridge Parkway), and the areas around Skytop Lodge in PA, and Mohonk Mountain House in NY. Once one sees the water foragers, their frequent approach and departure vectors should easily point to the feral hive.
I think, without a shred of evidence other than bee tree locations over 30+ years of having far too much free time, that one of the criteria which influences bee swarm nest location choices is the availability of nearby water. I have no idea how the scouts would accomplish this.
But one can walk right by a hive, and miss it. There is a tree that is known to the NYC Parks Department and I in the "Ramble" of Central Park that would be a serious danger to any of the current crop of 7-foot tall basketball players, as there is a hive entrance in this tree at about 7' 6" above the path. If one stands still in that area on the path, one can hear the bees, but only if one is listening carefully for them, as all the birdsong tends to catch one's attention. But thousands of people walk right under this hive entrance every year, and never notice it. The tree gets re-occupied consistently, as it is a very good location, and the Parks folks have promised to leave the bees be.
Dad is 89, and has given up making and selling his 3-chamber bee-lining boxes, and I don't have the time, so someone else will have to fill that niche. Feel free to copy the design.
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