During which type of flight are queens more likely to enter the wrong hive?

Queens are more likely to enter the wrong hive during mating flights. This behavior occurs because a queen bee leaves the hive to mate with drones in a specific area known as the drone congregation area. During this time, she might not have the same visual cues or scent markers that worker bees use to navigate back to their hive, making it easier for her to mistakenly enter a different hive.

Additionally, since mating occurs away from the colony, the queen may not yet be familiar with all the subtle identifiers of her home hive. This increases the chances of her mistakenly returning to another hive after mating, as she may be disoriented or simply following pheromone trails that she cannot distinctly identify as her own. The purpose of the mating flight is for reproduction, and once the queen has mated, she typically returns to her original hive to begin laying eggs.