I've been a beekeeper for the last 4 years and now have 3 hives. Its my understanding that bees will typically travel upwards of a 2 mile radius of their hive to find nectar and pollen. The furthur they go, the more they need to use their load of nectar as energy to return to the hive. Beyond 2 miles, they are in the "red" as far as making the trip worthless, or a net negative. Its not that they will travel 2 miles, but that they have a mechanism to venture only as far as they need to (their "waggle" dancing to communicate nearby nectar sources - how close and how plentiful).
I stand corrected, I couldn’t remember the exact number he had told us, I just remember being amazed at how far a tiny bee would fly back and forth! But the beekeeper gave us a lot of stats in the 2 hours that we visited with him, and they unfortunately didn’t all stick in my head just right! (I didn’t take notes. We did, however, practice being bees and doing the “waggle” dance! It is fascinating to hear about the intricate system of communication that bees have developed! God is great.) Thanks for the info!