According to Dr. Keith Delaplane, U of GA Entomologist, newly established
bee tree colonies have only a 25 percent survival rate through the first
winter, and those that make it that far last about three and a half years on
average.

I've had many property owners tell me "those bees have been there forever".
Chances are the tree or building in question has seen several die-offs and
new swarms without the property owner noticing.



"... why is it that a feral bee colony can survive in the wilderness. 
...  Why can't [package] bees survive 
without the help of a beekeepers just as the feral bees have survived?"

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