Fight patterns out of the Hive.

Exit Behavior

• Bees usually walk out onto the landing board before taking off.

• They launch forward a short distance, then lift upward to clear grass, obstacles, or predators.

Orientation Flights (for young bees)

• When a bee first begins flying (around 2–3 weeks old), she performs orientation flights.

• These are small looping flights just outside the hive, gradually widening and rising higher.

• Purpose: memorise the hive’s location, surrounding landmarks, and the position of the sun.

Foraging Flights (experienced bees)

• Once oriented, bees usually:

• Leave the hive in a straight path.

• Fly a few meters out, then rise above obstacles.

• Turn toward the direction of their known nectar, pollen, water, or propolis source (based on the waggle dance they saw inside the hive).

Return Flights

• Returning bees often approach at hive height, then angle downward.

• They may hover briefly to confirm landmarks before landing.

Patterns in Flight

• Young bees → short loops and hovering (learning flights).

• Foragers → more direct flight paths toward resources.

• Crowded times → bees queue, circle, and dart in waves, like tiny airport traffic.

• Swarming bees → gather in front of the hive, then rise in a cloud before moving off.

Navigation Tools Bees Use

• Sun position & polarised light → even on cloudy days.

• Landmarks → trees, buildings, hive position relative to ground.

• Magnetic field sensitivity → helps in orientation.

• Olfactory cues → smell of the hive entrance.

Bees leave the hive in a fairly consistent way — walk out, launch forward, lift, and then head toward resources. Young bees practice with looping orientation flights, while experienced foragers fly direct routes guided by memory, sun, and landmarks.