Depending on circumstances, a 'yard' can contain between 50-100 colonies
before the colonies begin to compete with each other for nectar and
pollen sources (water too in some cases like the desert).

When you first plop down a new yard you wish to develop into a
production yard, I think its best to put down between 20-30. Then each
year you can increase that yard from the colonies already there. Just
bring new equipment and do splits at the right times.

By developing your yards slowly, you can keep production in your
colonies high and increase the output of the forage around by providing
a gradually increasing pollonator population. There are beekeepers in
the deserts who have developed the forage by placing bees and increasing
yard size slowly to be able to support 50 beehives per location. We are
talking desert here.

In subtropical florida, you can plop down 100 beehives at a shot and
probably do just fine unless you are on one of the barrier islands. In
the plains states, so long as you are in a variable area like the edges
of town, you can probably put down 50-75 beehives at a shot and develop
the land to more than 100 per yard.

In all cases its different, but increasing from 20 to 30 beehives should
be excellent so long as they aren't within competing range of too many
other yards.

--
Scot Mc Pherson
The Mc Pherson Family Honey Farms
Davenport, Iowa USA

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