[George Fergusson]

I read that 25 mph figure I think in "The Hive and the Honey Bee". That's probably top speed unless they have a tail wind They likely average somewhat less. They fly faster leaving the hive than they do coming in loaded I've noticed.

 

[George Fergusson]

The funny thing is that i read an article (I think here on beesource) about tracking bees and the auther had done some timing tests. Turns out the opposite is true. They may leave the hive like a shot, but they must take some time to relocate the foraging site and so it takes them longer to return to the bait than it does for them to return to the hive. So they actually go faster on the trip home.

So maybe they're sight seeing? They're going to fly slower when loaded down with nectar and/or pollen and you can easily see the difference in speed between departing foragers and returning ones. There may be other explanations for why their return trip takes less time, if this is in fact the case. I'm not sure it is the case. It may only be because they're taking a more direct route home, or it might actually take them a little longer to locate and return to a point-source (a feeder) than it does to find a field or general area where something is blooming. It doesn't necessarily mean they're flying faster when they are clearly flying slower.