# How many hives per bee yard?



## Mantra Beek (May 12, 2011)

I have read several times that any one bee yard should'nt have more than 15 - 20 hives to be successful. 

However, I am also reading about commercial bee farms having 700 + hives.

So which one is it?


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## hpm08161947 (May 16, 2009)

If they have 700 hives in a yard... it is just a holding yard. Not one to make honey. Sometimes done during the winter to make feeding and such easier before shipping out.

How large a honey making yard is depends heavily on they area. Around here 25 is about as big as one can get, but up in the North I have heard of larger.


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## Bsweet (Apr 9, 2010)

It all depends on the forage around your yards as to the number of hives in a yard. And yards can change from year to year based on weather and what the farmers are growing.As for commercial outfits they may have several or dozens of yards. Jim


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## Mantra Beek (May 12, 2011)

Generally speaking, in a semi-rural area as in upstate NY, what is the normal distance to have other bee yards from each other. Miles away?


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## Bsweet (Apr 9, 2010)

Are you talking distance between your yards or distance between your yard and another bee keepers yard? In most cases I would want at least 5 miles and would prefer 10 miles,you don't want to over forage an area so the bees have to compete plus you want to lessen diesese transfer from yard to yard. Some states have laws covering this situation . Jim


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Mantra Beek said:


> what is the normal distance to have other bee yards from each other. Miles away?


There is no "normal" and there are no regulations? Why do you ask? Are you concerned that you may be setting down on top of someone else?

How many hives do you have in your yd?


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## Mantra Beek (May 12, 2011)

I currently have only 2 hives in my backwayrd but would like to expand to 10 - 15 hives next season. There is a local apiary only 2 miles from my house and I want to make sure I will not create problems with over foraging. I think has 40 hives and many nucs on his property.


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## hpm08161947 (May 16, 2009)

It does appear to me that you would have reason to be concerned. Do not know the area... but suspect it is already panned out.


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## indypartridge (Nov 18, 2004)

This is a cool link to see the forage area for your bees.

http://www.freemaptools.com/radius-around-point.htm

Zoom in to your backyard and put a 3 mile radius around it to see where your bees will forage. You can also put a radius around the nearby apiary and see where they will overlap with your bees, and where they don't.


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

Its kinda of a trial and error thing to see how many hives one place can hold and some times 2 miles can make a lot of difference, I have a yard 1 mile from my home yard that out produces the home yard by almost 2 to 1.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Mantra Beek said:


> There is a local apiary only 2 miles from my house and I want to make sure I will not create problems with over foraging.


I'm gonna stick my neck out a little and say that there is no where in NY, other than inside the Blue Line, where 60 hives won't do well. I wouldn't worry about it Mantra Beek.


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