# Locating 2 hives, next to each other or apart in the yard?



## SoarWestBees (Feb 15, 2011)

I am going to keep 2 hives in my yard on a 1/4th acre lot. It has a 6' block fence so the neighbors will not see them. The hive openings face the wall so they have to fly up and out to get on their way.

Is it better to stack the hives in the same area (right next to each other, say 4" apart), or would it be best to keep them say 40' apart to avoid any confusion with returing bees? Adjacent seems easier to manage and I see many with hinves stacked in a row in their pictures, so perhaps it's now a worry. I will provide a water source about 20' from the hive so they don't raid neighboring pools for their water.

My water source will look like this (at the bottom of this web page):
http://mistressbeek.com/2011/03/03/bees-need-water-too/


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

Either way will work, closer together will make your life a bit eaiser but both will work.


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## stripstrike (Aug 29, 2009)

I've got two about a foot or two apart and haven't had drifting issues that I noticed. I'm adding two more to the same general area this spring.


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## b2bnz (Apr 5, 2009)

Have you considered putting the two brood boxes right up against each other each with its own queen, and only one stack of honey supers. With two half lids on the brood boxes and a modified queen excluder, to prevent the queens from straying to the other box, you have a set up where you can inspect the brood boxes without taking off the honey supers. You will need to rotate you supers more often and extract but it sound as if you have the hives at home, so it won't be a problem.


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## PCM (Sep 18, 2007)

b2bnz said:


> Have you considered putting the two brood boxes right up against each other each with its own queen, and only one stack of honey supers.
> 
> I believe this individual is a beginner !
> 
> ...


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## DBeeCooper (Apr 28, 2010)

I wouldn't put them 4" apart, I can't think of any advantage to that other than pushing them together in the winter for additional warmth, which is probably not even a consideration in AZ. On the down side, if they are extremely close together and the one you're working gets upset, they'll still be in your face when you go to working the other hive!


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## SoarWestBees (Feb 15, 2011)

All really interesting comments and ideas. Wow the bee keeping community is diverse with ideas and thoughts. It's great!

I was thinking of keeping them close because I built a stand which I designed to hold a single hive and then the lids and pieces as I worked that hive. I then considered just placing 2 hives on it next to each other and using it for a double. In In-n-Out parlance, a Double Double, animal style.

It's less work to level and install a single stand was all. This stand is very simple and sits on 2 cinder blocks. In setting it up for real I'll keep the blocks farther apart than shown in the image.

I can see that I may end up with as many as 4 bee hives in my yard but only if there's enough plant growth in the surrounding area to support them.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Mine are all touching. They are huddled together for warmth and for my convenience and they do fine that way...


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## PCM (Sep 18, 2007)

Ok, one thing I noticed, get them off the stones, and away from that concrete block wall, they are setting on a heat sink, find some grass and partial shade.

My Son lives in Wadell Az. about 30m. W. off I-10, during the Summer when it gets 110-112 degrees those stones are Ovens !! [ I know; NO HUMIDITY :lpf: ]

How many days in a row was it over a 100 degrees last year ?

Just something to think about.

:lookout: PCM


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

Yeah, after seeing the picture, you definitely want them away from a concrete or stone patio, that would be just too hot. Set your stand up on bare ground or grass. You could always put down a large piece of plywood under the hive stand or in front of it to keep grass and weeds down if you wanted to. John


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

I like them about 16" off the ground with the back just a little bight higher.½ + . with about 2' between them. That way I can set a box down with out setting it on the ground. It help to save the back. Going into winter I am going to start to move them together. 
David


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## cg3 (Jan 16, 2011)

My hive stand is similar to yours but I left a couple of feet between the hives where I could set the supers while working the hives.


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## SoarWestBees (Feb 15, 2011)

That picture was only intended to show the stand and it is NOT where I actually have the hives located. They are in the corner of my yard behind some plants and under a palm tree with partial shade.

Here in Arizona it does get hot and I will probably have to figure out a way to shade the hives in the middle of the summer. I am probably going to install a mesh cover somehow, with a stand via some poles in the ground and then they will be in the shade on sunny afternoons. For now they love the sun.

It's taking time to work all of this out, but the dog has already learned that if she goes over there and sticks her nose in to smell the hive, they chase her away. ;-)


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## Mike Snodgrass (Mar 11, 2010)

They will probably need shade at least during the hottest part of the day...As far as your neighbors pool goes? Bees will get water where they want to get water and for some reason they usually prefer a slightly tainted source, like a clorinated pool. Tons of water next to the hive may not thwart their desire for a neighbors pool? Beware!


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## mark c (Apr 5, 2010)

When I set up hives in a location I put them groups either 2 or more. I do this so if a queen fails or I have some such problem I can combine them and all the field bees end up in a hive.


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