according to this
bees orientate by spatial memory. If displaced they will undertake, quote
” initial straight flights in which they fly the course that they were on when captured (foraging bees) or that they learned during dance communication (recruited bees); (ii) slow search flights with frequent changes of direction in which they attempt to ‘‘get their bearings’’
@tinyfaery
recruited by bees of the own hive, in the sense that the bee that found food dances to tell the location and directions to the food to nearby bees that then go to the food themselves and are thus “recruited”
I would assume 10 miles would be too far to navigate back via sense of smell; especially when the bee probably wouldn’t be aware of it’s entirely new location.
It would probably fly in search patterns and eventually die.
Good question. I wonder if another hive would even accept it. I’ve always wondered what would happen if I took an ant from one colony and let it go with another.
@gailcalled
The scent. Each hive has a unique chemical identifier, the bee worlds version of IFF, but in that case every scent other than the home hive is classified as hostile.