I have a bee yard with only three hives, but they are very close together (two hives per 4' x 4' skid).
The hives are the same color.
Do bees get confused, when hives are so close together?
I have a weak (recently hived swarm...) right beside a very strong, well established hive.
Should I bee concerned?
I would say they dont get confused, and here is my reasoning. When i set my hive up this year I put an entrance reducer on the smallest setting. the smallest entrance was on the right side of the hive. when I moved it to the bigger size I put it on the left side of the hive. the returning bees were still trying to get into the hive where the small entrance was, and they would start moving out from there until they found the bigger entrance. So i think if they are that pinpoint, it shouldn't matter if they are right next to each other. although i have heard of bees switching hives
If it worries you then just paint the front of one of the hives a different color! Blue, yellow, green, purple, black, all work! The bees will definitely drift down a line of hives but it's not an overwhelming problem; you're not going to lose a hive from drifting bees.