Number of hives in any one apiary

[Browntea]

Just wondering really, how many hives should or could be kept together or does it not matter?

 

[Ed Woods]

Would depend how much forage there was in a 3 mile radius.

 

[steve1958]

I think two is a nice number as it allows you to compare how each is doing.
However as far as maximum numbers are concerned I think the answer is lots.

 

[Browntea]

I have a ten acre grass field with a large pond, about 1.5 mile away from the Heather and maybe 2 miles away from any osr when grown, next year I would love to expand to 3 or 4 hives but we will see, I was thinking that if you had say 10 hives in the field and 1 went down with disease would the others be affected? Therefore would it be wise to spread the hives around locally,I do have another possible site that will be very close to osr so maybe win win situation?!

 

[SixFooter]

You will find having 2 sites will make life easier anyway especially if they are not close together. If they are 3 miles apart, you can move bees from one site to the other without them flying back to the original site.

 

[Browntea]

Now that I didn't think about, and yes they are more than 3 miles apart

 

[tonybloke]

You will find having 2 sites will make life easier anyway especially if they are not close together. If they are 3 miles apart, you can move bees from one site to the other without them flying back to the original site.

 

[starflex]

Maybe not as many as this! Western Crete July 2011

 

[Browntea]

Wow!! I wasn't quite thinking that many!!

 

[Poly Hive]

Manley wrote it took five years to assess a site and the only way to find out what it could cope with was to keep adding hives.

I not unusually had forty odd on a site, and if I reckon it up, LOL, I still do.

PH