>  > We have an opportunity to purchase 20 overwintered colonies
>  > that have been housed in an area surrounded for about 50 acres with
>  > fields fertilized using paper sludge.
 
> That much paper pulp used on the land would
> mulch it so heavily it would kill much of the vegetation and probably the
> bees have little to forage.
 
If your bees forage roughly a half mile in each direction, then they
forage over an area of over 500 acres.  The 50 acres is only 10% of that.
 
I guess it depends on what is growing on the other 90%.  Moreover, if your
bees forage up to a mile, which they will if nothing is nearby and the
weather is decent, they will have access to over 2,000 acres.  If they go
1-1/2 miles, then they are working on 4,500 acres.
 
This figuring also illustrates the futility of growing forage specifically
 for bees amongst other things.
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