Addition of another hive would, of course, result in the increase in the number of honey bees in the area. Our research has shown that there can be both positive and negative interactions with the surrounding ecosystem.
Effects on Pollinators
By adding another hive, and assuming that both are able to maintain healthy populations, then we are effectively doubling the honey bee population in the area. There are only so many flowers available, and so it is possible that the honey bee could out-compete the native pollinators, forcing them out of the area. At the same time, there is also research that would suggest that the combined presence of native pollinators and honey bees increases pollination efficiency3. The complex interactions between the two species are not well understood however, and so more research, especially in regards to the effects that honey bees have on native pollinators (literature can be found on the effect that native pollinators have on honey bees), is necessary. Because of the lack of conclusive data, we cannot state for certain whether or not this is a viable issue1.
If the honey bees do out-compete the native species though (again, this is uncertain), then this could very well have an effect on the surrounding flora. Native plant species evolved under selection pressures put on by native pollinators, and native pollinators evolved under selection pressures put on by native plants. If the native pollinators no longer frequent the area, then reduced pollination of those native plants could result, since the honey bees are not necessarily adapted to them, and vice versa.
Retrieved from https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3282/2776327058_c2a2cc9d31.jpg
Bee Health
Adding more hives and more bees means that there’s more chance for interaction. In terms of disease pressures, this could be very harmful, and perhaps disastrous. If a disease becomes rampant in one hive, and the hives are located close to each other, then it’s possible for that disease to spread. Now, instead of only one hive collapsing, you have two. This also has some implications in regards to the native bees – there are diseases that can cross over between honey bees and native bees, such as: Acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), deformed wing virus (DWV), and Kashmir bee virus (KBV)2;
Pollination
Pollination could be improved with the addition of a second hive. More bees visiting more flowers is often a good thing. If more pollination is occurring, then this could also positively affect crop yields; however, there is a potential downside to this – the threat of out-competing native species. Some crops are better pollinated by other species of bees. For example, the anthers of the tomato flower are held very tightly together. In order to get the pollen loose, a bumble bee must visit it. Bumble bees do a form of buzz pollination, caused by moving their wings quickly (Anelyse Weiler, personal communication, 2012), while honey bees do not possess the same ability.
A honey bee dusted in pollen. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/blondyimp/2190753242/sizes/m/in/photostream/
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1 Goulson, D. (2003). Effects of introduced bees on native ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology and Evolution Systematics, 34, 1-26.
2 Meeus, I., Smagghe, G., Siede. R., Jans, K., de Graaf, D.C. (2010). Multiplex RT-PCR and broad-range primers and an exogenous internal amplification control for the detection of honey bee viruses in bumblebees. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. Doi:10.1016/j.jip.2010.06.012.
3 Greenleaf, S. S., Kremen, C. (2006) National Academy of Science 103(13). Retrieved from http://www.pnas.org/content/103/37/13890.long