I’m no expert but my guess (and partially confirmed by some googling) is that they’ve been bred for docility/traits that make them more likely to stay rather than leave. o3 also suggests:
Queen pheromones – a chemical “social glue” that keeps workers oriented to this queen and this cavity. If the queen dies or her pheromone output drops, cohesion collapses and bees drift or abscond. (So seems like the queen partially acts as an anchor to keep the rest of the bees and as long as her life is devoid of intense stress, she stays.)
Investment already sunk – comb, brood and the bulk of their honey are immovable. Walking away means writing off weeks of labour and risking starvation.
Risk calculus – only ~20 % of natural swarms survive to become established colonies; absconding is even riskier.
Absconding (leaving the hive) is triggered by intense stress: chronic overheating, prolonged food dearth, heavy predator or beekeeper disturbance, or severe parasite loads (notably Varroa)
I’m no expert but my guess (and partially confirmed by some googling) is that they’ve been bred for docility/traits that make them more likely to stay rather than leave. o3 also suggests:
Queen pheromones – a chemical “social glue” that keeps workers oriented to this queen and this cavity. If the queen dies or her pheromone output drops, cohesion collapses and bees drift or abscond. (So seems like the queen partially acts as an anchor to keep the rest of the bees and as long as her life is devoid of intense stress, she stays.)
Investment already sunk – comb, brood and the bulk of their honey are immovable. Walking away means writing off weeks of labour and risking starvation.
Risk calculus – only ~20 % of natural swarms survive to become established colonies; absconding is even riskier.
Absconding (leaving the hive) is triggered by intense stress: chronic overheating, prolonged food dearth, heavy predator or beekeeper disturbance, or severe parasite loads (notably Varroa)