I live very close to commercial cranberry bogs, they have hives shipped in each year to pollinate their crops. When I get a hive of my own, will my bees leave and go to another hive? Will they get territorial?
Quote from: hellbenthoneybee on March 27, 2008, 05:46:08 PM
I live very close to commercial cranberry bogs, they have hives shipped in each year to pollinate their crops. When I get a hive of my own, will my bees leave and go to another hive? Will they get territorial?
If their hives are right next to yours, you can expect some drift, otherwise I would not worry about it.
No. Sometimes there is a little drifting between hives set-up closely, but your bees are unlikely to go to a hive set up in another field. Drones visit other hives, but thats of little consequence to your set-up. Each worker has its own hive "scent" and is an uninvited enemy of another hive and is likely to be killed if it goes to another hivel.
Cranberries are a tough crop to pollinate. Bees need feeding after pollinating cranberries. We have lots of bogs near me and many beeks wont pollinate cranberries, or if they do, that hive only gets rented once in that year and is then placed in a forage rich area for balance of season to get winter ready
you might even get a swarm or two from them. put out some swarm traps or extra supers with bait when you know they have put out their hives.