How close to a hive will scouts look?

[Sutty]

I've got a spare hive which has a couple of frames of very old comb, and a few drops of lemongrass oil right next to one of my occupied hives. 2 more colonies are within 10 feet. The adjacent one is the most likely to be thinking about swarming, though any cells won't be very far along yet.
I have scout bees checking out the empty hive today. Are they likely to be from my colonies? I would expect them to scout a bit further afield.

 

[Sutty]

From the lack of replies maybe I have this wrong. However I understand scouting behaviour starts before a colony swarms.

 

[user 20297]

From the lack of replies maybe I have this wrong. However I understand scouting behaviour starts before a colony swarms.

From my very limited but recent experience, scouting does start before swarming. Your circumstances being similar to my own, it may be that these are scouts from your own hive.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I'm sure scouting starts before swarming. I keep a bait hive in each apiary as a warning of colonies thinking of swarming.
Earlier this year I had a lot of interest in a bait hive when I went to an out apiary. I found one hive on the point of swarming and did an AS and removed the nuc to another apiary. When I returned the following day there were no bees investigating.

 

[Boston Bees]

Yes, they'll scout near to their hive, so yes those could be your bees. Swarms can sometimes simply move in to the next door hive (though usually try to go further I think)

 

[madasafish]

Inside.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I've got a spare hive which has a couple of frames of very old comb, and a few drops of lemongrass oil right next to one of my occupied hives. 2 more colonies are within 10 feet. The adjacent one is the most likely to be thinking about swarming, though any cells won't be very far along yet.
I have scout bees checking out the empty hive today. Are they likely to be from my colonies? I would expect them to scout a bit further afield.

I once had a swarm bivouac just outside the apiary fence then move back inside to an empty hive as I was getting ready to collect it.

 

[Karsal]

Seen a

I've got a spare hive which has a couple of frames of very old comb, and a few drops of lemongrass oil right next to one of my occupied hives. 2 more colonies are within 10 feet. The adjacent one is the most likely to be thinking about swarming, though any cells won't be very far along yet.
I have scout bees checking out the empty hive today. Are they likely to be from my colonies? I would expect them to scout a bit further afield.

swarm exit one hive in my apiary and enter an empty hive 2 yards away