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Author Topic: Hive spacing and placement  (Read 2273 times)

Offline tharrison

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Hive spacing and placement
« on: May 26, 2013, 03:51:53 pm »
I am currently using vacant brood chambers to catch new swarms as there are many swarms moving around now and it seems to work quite well. Almost all hives have many bees active at their entrances all day but in the late afternoons when I check the hives, they do not all have swarms in them. The bees around the empty hives could be scouts of potential new swarms, but I'm concerned that they are from the swarms that have already moved into the other hives and are getting lost/confused. What is the suggested minimum distance that hives should be from each other to avoid the bees getting lost/confused?

Also, I've read that the placement of hives in a symmetrical fashion is not suggested as this can make it difficult for the bees to recognise their hive, is there any truth in this? If so is it sufficient to simply stagger the hives and/or face them in different directions?

Any input would be much appreciated, thanks.

Offline don2

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Re: Hive spacing and placement
« Reply #1 on: May 26, 2013, 08:09:31 pm »
You can make each of the hives a little different in appearance from the front, different colors, staggered colors, etc. When I catch a swarm I wait till sundown to move the hive to give all the scout bees time to return to where they know their buddies were when they left. hope this helps.  :) d2
 Are your bees mean like the AHB's here in North America?

Offline BlueBee

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Re: Hive spacing and placement
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2013, 11:49:44 am »
What is inside your bait hives?  Frames of comb?  Honey?  It kind of sounds to me like there might be some robbing going on? 

Once a swarm moves into a box, I haven’t seen any problem with them re-finding that box.  They’re pretty good at finding their home.  My hives are not really in a symmetrical pattern, but many are only 2 feet apart.

Brother Adam did report seeing more drifting with a symmetrical arrangement.  I don’t have as many hives as Brother Adam, so I can’t say.

Offline JWChesnut

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Re: Hive spacing and placement
« Reply #3 on: May 27, 2013, 12:23:08 pm »
Eastern European mode is to have dozens of hives on a movable trailer or truck. Side by side and 4 colonies high  The bees do fine.  Faces are decorated or colored, but I think this is aesthetics. 
I've had 8 colonies on a trailer. No problem.
Traditional German skep keeping (per fascinating you-tube videos) had skeps 4 up in long sheds.

Offline tharrison

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Re: Hive spacing and placement
« Reply #4 on: May 27, 2013, 04:35:58 pm »
Very helpful feedback, thank you all very much.

Does AHB stand for African Honey Bee? If so, I am very new to beekeeping and can't really compare the bees I'm working with to anything. They seem ok tho I guess, I'd hate to not have protective clothing tho!

I'm not really using anything to bait the bees with. The brood frames just have about an inch and half of wax foundation along their tops and thats it. There seems to be a lot of swarming in our area, we are surrounded by extensive Eucalyptis plantations and the bees seem to love it. They try to move into my supers while I'm building them!

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Hive spacing and placement
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2013, 02:14:38 pm »
I have bigger things to worry about than drift...
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline JWChesnut

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Re: Hive spacing and placement
« Reply #6 on: May 28, 2013, 02:39:18 pm »
There seems to be a lot of swarming in our area, we are surrounded by extensive Eucalyptis plantations

Yeah Eucalyptus, it is a fantastic nectar source, and really nice, light, fragrant honey.  In my area (central California), Eucalyptus begins mid-December and continues to July.   Makes beekeeping as easy as drinking punch.  Primary species is Blue Gum (E. globus), but some others are planted as well.  If you have euc's, you can have a practically unlimited yard.  One tree could supply a dozen hives.

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Hive spacing and placement
« Reply #7 on: May 28, 2013, 05:06:54 pm »
I kind of figure the hive that gets the most drift makes a significantly larger amount of honey... that's not a bad thing...
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
-------------------
"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin