I started thinking about this because I put a couple of old honey frames out for the bees to clean up so I can re-use them. It?s covered with bees and they?re doing a great job. I?m sure they?re not all from my hive - several other people keep bees in my immediate area. So do bees from one hive recognize other bees from the same hive when they?re out foraging? I watched a couple of scuffles but nothing too serious so I assumed those were strangers to each other.
A bee hive has a distinct smell to it that the bees in it carry with them. So yes they can tell the difference from a bee from from their hive to a bee from a different hive.
Jim Altmiller
Thanks. It?s pretty amazing.