Q for Bee people

[StevieBee]

Was at the University of Essex in Colchester today. Returned to the car to find a humungous swarm of bees - never seen anything so vast related to bees. Seemed to be congregating on a bonnet of a car a few cars down from me.

Anyway, got home - Danbury, around 25 miles away - and noticed a bee in the car, obviously snuck in when I got it.

Managed to shoo it out but the question is, would it have found its way back to its mates or is that too far away?

[WelshRich]

Apt username…

Seems unlikely to me, Google suggests the maximum range for a bee is about five miles…

[rxe]

Max foraging range is a bit less than 3 miles - when you move a beehive, it has to be more than 3 miles otherwise they could fly over old foraging ground, and then go “oh, I know the way home” and end up at the old site.

So after 25 miles, your bee will have no clue at all. It it is lucky, it will find a colony in the neighbourhood, if it is really lucky, it might be accepted into that colony. Less good options include being killed by the guard bees of that colony.