> The question is:  How much time   lives a bee colony?  Is out of the point
> how much lives a bee, or drone or queen, but the colony in its current
> location.
>
Ten years ago I had a wild colony take up occupancy in an old rusted
out beer keg at my property. That colony lived just fine for several
years until the third year a heavy rain flooded it out. I knew
nothing about bees in those days and this wild colony is what got me
interested in them. Since then I had two years with Langstroth hives
and one year with a top bar hive. I am hoping for the top bar hive
colony to live forever, and to add another one or more. I think the
beer keg hive could have lived indefinitely except for the big flood.