Beekeepers have known this for a long time. Treeline, fencelines, streams, etc are great places for swarm traps. Beelining also makes this pattern somewhat apparent.
It seems natural that straight lines across a landscape would be useful markers. I wonder to what degree bees use non-linear landmarks, if at all. In an environment with many straight lines, like an agricultural field with row crops, irrigation channels, fences, and one wavy creek bed, would the irregular feature be a helpful marker?