Subject: Distance between hives

From: [email-masked] (David MacFawn - Sun NC Development Center)
Date: 18 Apr 1994 14:41:45 GMT

>How far apart should hives bee (min. and max.)?  Does it even matter?

The distance between hives and the arrangement will determine several things 
like drifting.  Normally I like to have two hives per stand (this is for European 
bee, Africianized bees it is recommended to have one hive per stand), with the 
hives approx. 3-4 feet apart.  I get landscape timbers/angle iron/steel pipes 
(you can purchase bee stands but I find the landscape timers are cheaper), set 
them on concrete blocks and set two hives on each stand, orienting each stand 
in a slightly different orientation to reduce drifting.  When you set bees in 
long rows, the returning worker field bees tend to go into the end hives, resulting 
in a higher honey production in the end hives.  Also, you want the hives to be 
far enough apart such that if one hive gets worked up it will not affect the 
other hive(s) as bad; hence the 3-4 foot distance.  I also like to have room on 
the stand such that when I work the bees I can place the supers on the stand as 
I go thru the hive...I also place the telescoping lid on the ground and place the supers on the lid but sometimes this results in bees getting in the grass which 
means they will go up my pants legs...I know I should probably close off my pants 
legs but I never do.  The hives should be placed in a SE orientation with a hedge 
or fence to block the winter Northern winds.  I also like to place the hives close 
to a water source so they do not have to fly as far to collect water for cooling 
in the summer resulting in more bees allocated to collecting nector and pollen.

Rgds,
David MacFawn
Master Beekeeper
Raleigh, North Carolina