If I get "balls" at the nodes these tend to be a male plant and start to develop long before the females flower.
Hermies, although I haven't really seen many, tend to grow "balls" on the buds and not at the nodes.
That's my experience although it's limited regarding hermies.
Ive never had really seedy buds unless I pollinated them although I have had random and unexplained seeds in bud, from 1 seed to an entire plant to a few dozen. All seeds have been well developed but I tend not to grow from them unless Im in strife with my own supply.
Ive also had plants germinate from pots I havent sewn seed into, but only a few.
Nature has a way of helping species survive.