Will displaced bees take up residence in another hive if they are released far away from their hive and close to another one? Will the bees in the second hive allow this?
Thanks.
Drifing between hives in close proximity to each other is quite common, however the further apart the bee hives are the less like drifting is to occur. However, if one hive is moved to a new location any bees returning to that hive will eventually go to another hive that is relatively close by. Outsides are usually viewed as interlopers (robbers) but if they show up with pollen or nectar will usually be let into a hive.
You can a complete frame of bees from one hive and place it in another with little or now problem as bees inside the hive are assumed to belong there, as long as it is done with only 1 or 2f rames at a time. The more hives you pull frames from the more confused the bees are and the more likely there will be not fighting between the bees...good to know when doing splits as you can pull frames from several hives to make a strong split.