In warm weather used up bees will be seen crawling away from the hive, usually southwesterly, they will travel from a few feet to a hundred yards or more. They are going off to die, having worn out their wings. In cold weather old bees will crawl outside the hive where they become chilled and can't go further, so the dead bees mound up near the entrance to the hive, or in many cases just fall from the cluster onto the bottom boards.