Ann wrote in
:

enigma expounded:

oddly, that's not true. there are very few 'wild' hives of
honeybees.

Thankfully they seem to be on a bit of a comeback. There
have been feral hives located that show resistance to
varroa. There may be hope - that is if humans will leave
them alone and let them adapt!

on that note, is there a way to encourage wild hives to take
up residence? would the wandering new queen be looking for a
particular type of spot?
i'm in the process of logging the back 20, & we're putting it
into managed woodlands with the intent to encourage wildlife
(i have at least one female Blanding's turtle of breeding size
back there). what that means is that we will be leaving
certain deadwood trees & snags standing for bugs & birds. if
there's a particular type of dead or damaged tree that might
attract bees i can make sure it gets marked to be left alone.
lee