How close can you put beehives together?

You can space a pair of hives as close to six inches from each other, but you need several feet of space around one or two sides in order to move equipment around as you're working the hives. Know what predators (man or beast) are in your area and what protection your bees will need.
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Should beehives be close together?

So, how close should you place your beehives to each other? It is recommended to place your hives at least two feet apart. This is no hard and fast rule, but it does make it easier for inspecting your hives and if you agitate one hive, you're less likely to agitate the other hives if they're not located close together.
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Can two bee hives live together?

From a beekeeper's perspective, the primary benefit to two-queen colonies is increased honey production. By having two prolific queens laying simultaneously, the total colony population can reach over 100,000 bees, while the population of a single-queen colony generally tops out around 60,000 bees.
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How many beehives can you have in one area?

Generally speaking, most backyard beekeepers have 1 to 2 acres of land with 2 or 3 bee hives. I have personally had 10 hives on a 1 acre lot in a subdivision. One important thing to do is talk with your neighbors first.
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Can you stack beehives on top of each other?

It's pretty good at what it does, but given you can't stack them, they won't beat the usefulness of other, rarer consumables. You can even turn Honey into Sugar! Honeycomb, on the other hand, is more of a crafting ingredient.
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Hive Location and Setup



How many bees are in a 10 frame hive?

A healthy colony filling 2 10-frame deeps contains around 30,000-60,000 bees.
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How many supers should a hive have?

As a rule of thumb, you should expect to need three supers for each hive. When inspecting the hive, remember that nectar takes up three times the space of processed honey. Beekeepers should allow extra space for this early in the season. The supers are usually left on the hive until the end of the season.
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How far should a beehive be from a house?

Even though each case is different, we can use some general estimates of a safe distance to be from the hive. For a honey bee colony with a calm temperature, give yourself at least 4 feet of clearance behind the hive and on each side if possible. At the hive entrance, an area of 25 feet is the best minimum.
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How much honey will 2 hives produce?

So assuming you have two standard hives and they become well established and the nectar flow is great this year. You can potentially end up with 200 lb of harvested honey.
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Can you shake bees from one hive to another?

Can shake all the bees off the frame you are moving but make sure the existing hive has enough bees to care for the young. If not they could be under-attended. Foragers whould have to become nurse bees and bring in less feed for the colony. You may have to feed.
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When should I combine hives?

Here are some signs that help you know if you should combine hives: Your hive has struggled to build up wax or produce honey throughout the season. Your queen has not been very active in laying eggs and you can tell that your colony population has dwindled.
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What happens if you put 2 queens in a hive?

Although we are taught that two queens can't survive in one hive, it happens frequently. It occurs most often when a supersedure cell hatches while the original queen is still alive. The virgin daughter hatches, mates, and begins to lay eggs right alongside her mother.
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Which direction should beehives face?

Face the hive entrance away from the prevailing winds. Ideally, face the entrance in a southerly direction if you're in the northern hemisphere and northerly direction for the southern hemisphere.
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Should beehives be in full sun?

The hive should be placed in early morning sun. This gets the bees out of their hive earlier in the day to forage. In the Northeast, hives can remain in the full sun for the entire season. However in places with warmer climates, hives should receive some afternoon shade.
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Can bee hives face each other?

Bees do not care what direction their hive is facing. Bees in the wild have not demonstrated a statistical preference when choosing one direction for the front of their hives. Bees are flexible and will adjust to their environment. Bees may not care which way their hive is facing but as a beekeeper you certainly will.
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What happens to honey if not harvested?

The honey that is not harvested goes to feed the colony during the cold winter months. They leave what they do not use and build upon it the next season. Secondly, other bees and insects steal honey that is in the hives. Bees from other colonies will bring back honey from another hive to their own.
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How many times do you harvest honey in a year?

In a healthy, productive hive, it is normal to be able to harvest honey two to three times each season. Most beekeepers will harvest honey between June and September, but how often you harvest and how much honey you get will depend on a number of factors.
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Can you make a living keeping bees?

The short answer is yes, and beekeeping for profit extends far beyond simply selling your own honey. In fact, there are many ways to make money with beekeeping that most new and for-profit beekeepers aren't aware of. We often speak about what we can do for the bees, now let's see what they can do for us.
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Do I need permission to keep bees?

The need to obtain a license to keep bees will depend on the regulations in your local area. We recommend you check with your local primary industries and agriculture authorities, or link up with your nearest beekeepers' association to find out what is required in your jurisdiction before you set up a new hive.
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Is it safe to have a beehive in your backyard?

You can keep bees in your backyard – subject to the laws in the area where you live – but you need to make sure they have a clear flight path in and out of the hive. 'Orienting the hive so that bees fly across a path, patio area or part of the garden which is used regularly is not a good idea,' explains Pete.
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Can you mow around a beehive?

In most cases, you can mow right up to the edge of a beehive, as long as you don't bump it with the mower. This is definitely a time to read your bees' behavior, though; if they start taking an interest in you when you are 15 or 20 feet away, it would be wiser to back off.
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What is the 7/10 rule in beekeeping?

Before adding a super, beekeepers often use a standard rule of thumb, which is known as the 7/10 rule. This rule says that the proper time to add a super to a beehive is when the bees have already covered 7 of the 10 frames in the existing box or boxes.
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Can I have 3 brood boxes?

The general consensus in most regions of the world is to use either one or two brood boxes. Using three or more means that you are probably doing your bees a disservice. In this case you would be better off splitting the large hive so you can get back to one or two brood boxes.
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Should I have 2 brood boxes?

With two brood boxes, there is enough space for your queen to lay as many eggs as she can. This means you won't need to check your hives as often. When using one brood box, there is only enough room to feed your broods sugar syrup in small increments. With two, you can give them larger amounts less often.
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