Karen, I've seen them in the orchard weeks, and seen them in the orchard 
only a few days. We used to move in 600 colonies by hand. Took nine 
guys, three trucks, and three nights in and three nights out. One year, 
we moved out four days after the first bees went in. Then again, there 
were years when the bees went in when the blossoms were popping, the 
weather turned cold, and the bees sat in the orchard for three weeks.

Sort of like this year...I talked to Northern Orchards in Peru, NY on 
Monday, and the bees were still in the orchard, as were the bees in 
Chazy...and they've been there for at least two weeks.

I don't believe the orchards in this area attempt to pollinate only the 
king bloom. They get every flower fertilized, and then spray thinner.
Mike


On 5/18/2012 9:29 PM, Karen Thurlow-Kimball wrote:
> I am wondering the normal time to leave hives in an apple orchard. I put
> hives in an orchard May 13 and took them out tonight May 18. That just
> seems to short to me?
>    

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