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Placement of hive on property with a feral colony

Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2013 10:54 am
by sunigam
BCBA,
I stopped by a farm yesterday to ask permission to place one to two hives on the property. The farm advertises itself as an organic farm and is located north of Longmont. The owner said yes with one caveat; there is a feral colony present which has relocated twice in the last two years. Two years ago it relocated to another farm across the highway but returned last summer to the present location setting up its hive in an old water pump house. I am going into my second year as a beekeeper (hobbyist) having lost my one hive at the end of March 2013. What issues do I need to be aware of if I place my hives on this property with a feral colony present; e.g disease transmission, robbing or drifting?

Michael Suniga

Re: Placement of hive on property with a feral colony

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:41 pm
by Backyard Bees
It sounds like you've found a good location! There fact that a feral colony has existed there over a period of years is a good sign. A new colony of healthy bees should be able to defend itself just fine. With so many people keeping bees in Boulder County I doubt there's a single spot that doesn't fall within the foraging range of another colony.