how much space should be between hives? i have seven on a stand and they are about 5 inches apart. the bees dont seem to mind but i am just wondering if there is a magic number.
No magic number!
Any tighter and you will not be able to work the bees well from my experience.
You will however get a lot of drifting unless you paint different colors or mark with symbols. The end hives will probably always have more bees, but truthfully it doesnt really matter.