>probably because the bees are bringing in goldenrod honey. For many years, I enjoyed this late season, tangy odor as a sign of autumn. Then my wife commented that it smelled like old sneakers. So now I am in a quandary about whether I like the smell of old sneakers! Has anyone documented the link between the autumn smell of hives in the northeast U.S. and goldenrod (Solidago) plants? When I stick my nose into a goldenrod flower, I do not smell the same ripe(!) aroma that I smell in front of the hives. Tim Tim Sterrett Westtown, (Southeastern) Pennsylvania, USA [log in to unmask]