Once the bee fills up on nectar (or gatorade), it makes a "bee line" to the hive.
A bee, heavily ladened, will fly much slower, but in a direct line back to the hive; the only variable is the height of the nest in a tree.
You can return later with a ladder
Trouble is, I can’t make the same beeline the bee can. It’s semi-rough terrain, covered with cedar and scrub oak. We’re on a ridge overlooking the lake and even a heavy laden bee is faster than me going down the hill and winding thru brush and boulders :)
What I’ve been attempting is to get a couple of particularly agile grandkids to chase the bees and mark the nest :) Apparantly they just don’t love the raw honey as much as Granny. But one grandson is working on it for me on his visits. Ryan loves Granny’s pies and he’s willingly bee hunting for me on his rare visits, God love him, i miss him and am waiting for another visit ;)