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  • Isolation/Quarantine So Far

  • General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #6042  by Japey Edge
 24 Mar 2020, 13:44
Haha those tracks are for the next stage - I will be installing steps in there so we don't have to walk on grass. There is still a lot of work to do in the garden, which I can see being done at an impressive rate with this lockdown.

I have seen plenty of hives quite close together so I'm not really worried about that. I'm making another stand and I think I'll get to 5 hives and 2 nucs total.

Neighbours are probably the best I could ask for regarding their attitude towards bees. I'm also providing honey for them so they're pretty happy.
 #6045  by NigelP
 24 Mar 2020, 16:20
Hives close together are not a real issue Jaz (except in books) mine are set to a minimum distance of a hive tool. i.e is there enough room to use the hive tool as a lever to free frames apart from the side of the hive. If I have more room they get it of course.
I've done this for years and never noticed any discernible drifting . And if there is...... they are all my bees so not really concerned. The usual book reproach is that if there is drifting then they may carry disease from one hive to another. Drones range at free will between all hives in your apiary and other nearby apiaries , so if there is any disease present they will spread it faster than your worker bees.
 #6051  by AndrewLD
 24 Mar 2020, 17:50
Nigel, I am not sure that was the objection. Plenty of bee-haus have hives right next to each other. I have found it very useful to be able slot a hive between two others on many occasions preparatory to a manipulation such has uniting but if it works for you great.
Thinking back to only this afternoon when I reconfigured hives, I just picked up the brood box and sat it on an adjecent new floor, slid that across into position (having taken away the old floor with "under-super" and bees to a bench behind for closer inspection); it was so seamless that the bees didn't seem to notice. That extra bit of space between hives is so useful and if the bees are less stressed, then I am less stressed :D .............
 #6052  by Patrick
 24 Mar 2020, 18:00
The hives close together thingy is more about comfortable working for the beekeeper IMHO. If you can work them okay, no problem.

It’s a bit academic I appreciate at the moment, but from personal experience I always suggest garden beekeepers to have a “back stop” location option to take a suddenly problem hive to (robbing / very aggressive etc) at short notice. If it’s never used all to the better but you don’t want to have to find one at zero notice. Just sayin’ 😉

The common answer to aggressive hives is the frequent ( and very annoyingly trite ) answer of “ you need to requeen” . Maybe correct but often as much practical use to the frantic owner as a chocolate teapot.
 #6053  by NigelP
 24 Mar 2020, 19:30
AndrewLD wrote:
24 Mar 2020, 17:50
. I have found it very useful to be able slot a hive between two others on many occasions preparatory to a manipulation such has uniting but if it works for you great.
Andrew ...space is great if you have it, not disagreeing there....I often don't.
When I unite and move a hive into it's new position and there is no space I can just sit it on top of the one I'm shortly going to unite it too for a few days. Usually the lighter one. More awkward if i need to find a queen in one to dispatch before uniting. Sometimes I will take the bees form one apiary to another site and immediately unite.
Several ways of achieving the same outcome.