from Pinterest |
We have been at home, and located the swarms each time. The bees will usually only go 10' to 20' from the hive to one of our dwarf apple trees. The bee yard or apiary (the fancy name) has 5 hives in it. There is no room to squeeze any more into it. I hope that the bees are done dividing, a new set-up costs about $200, and expanding the bee yard is unwanted by us. We have spent about $500 this spring to house the new hives...If there is another swarm...maybe someone we know will want it...or consider letting us keep it at their property. I wonder if the area around our farm is able to feed all these hives, maybe the flower, nectar, and pollen availability is not abundant enough.
One good thing is that our bees are pretty happy and pleasant to work with and have around the farm. :)