>I was surprised that there is a difference of opinion as to whether or not drones get escorted to the door...

Me too.  I have seen this behaviour many times over the years and bee lore suggests that the workers will bite the drones wings.
However, I think this trait is more pronounced in the yellower bees as we see it far less in our now darker bees which tend to retain drones as they often supersede late in the year.
Certainly drones in a hive in late autumn - say late October in this area -  usually indicates a queenless hive.

Best wishes

Peter 
52°14'44.44"N, 1°50'35"W

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