Unscrupulous operators may take advantage of this climate and rent substandard colonies. Alternatives for commercial renting of honey bees by citrus growers are not attractive, Ms. Teeter said. Some growers are considering becoming beekeepers themselves. The costs, however, are not trivial. Market forces, as always, will seek their own levels.
Every beekeeper is taught that strong colonies are the essence of beekeeping.
Through an elaborate set of experiments, using several hive sizes and different initial populations, Dr. Harbo found that in winter more crowded bees consumed less honey, but produced less brood and lived shorter than less crowded colonies. In spring and summer, more crowded bees produced more honey. They also produced less brood, but the difference was not as marked as in winter. With reference to how available space affected colonies during honey producing times, the results are not clear cut. The material is toxic when wet, but after drying has previously not been hazardous.