I don't know if you have followed the discussion, but 100 per square mile would not be an uncommon concentration for commercial beekeeping. 


Thanks Pete,  I didn’t express that very well.  No excuse,  but traveling a lot.

   The idea of 100 per mile is insane.   Commercial operations are a different breed, and require intense feeding at that level.   
I got the impression the poster was looking for general population dynamics for central CA,  in which case anything over 1 hive per 100 acres or so is going to be very problematic for a full season.

I run several large yards,  and when the nectar flow stops,  such as on a canola field in May,  bees get moody and robby and go downhill very quickly,  as the forage from "natural" things is nowhere neara enough to support large yards even in mid May.



Charles

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