Ted Fischer wrote:
> I have always heard the conventional wisdom that the hives should be
> irregularly spaced and not in a straight line, because of the increased
> tendency to drift to the end hives.  However, in two of my yards, it is
> impossible to do this because they must be placed at the edge of a field
> and inside the fence line. .....
 
Hi Ted,
 
        I have the same problem in some yards. A friend from Ontario saw my
hives all in a row and told me that research, somewhere in Canada, has
determined that drifting can be minimized by changing the angle of the
front of adjacent colonies by at least 30 deg. Now if I have a situation
that demands a straight line I use a zig zag pattern. With pallets I
just tip them one way then the other as they are set down, with H stands
I make a line of 2 or 3 in a zig zag, leave a space to walk thru, then 2
or 3 more.