If you are a migratory beekeeper chasing big crops as many as you can.

However for the majority of hobby beekeepers there are drawbacks to keeping
more than a few colonies on one site as there will be limited year round forage
and at times where there is insufficient forage available to occupy fully all
the available foragers trouble will ensue within the hive.

Read the works of Dr Leslie Bailey who has lectured on 'beekeeping by
numbers' for the scientific explanation.  It is probably in the Archives.

However from the practical point of view I think the answer is 'several'.
You can often sort out a problem in one hive by taking something from another
close by. It isn't worth visiting an apiary just for a five minute job: you may
as well do several while you are there.  However, beekeeper's back and boredom
may occur if you have too many to work without a break. So keep some where
the local people will pay more for their local honey.  Keep others where there
is a great view. More where there is a shady dell where you can chill out with
your bees.  More where a friend will provide coffee and cake.  More where you
are teaching somebody else the craft and you are sharing with them.

There's more to hobby beekeeping than stacking boxes and filling jars.

Chris

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