Is my second PM house a new colony, or an additon to my present colony?

[Peter C]

Hello,

I have established a second T-14 with four Troyer horizontal gourds , with 3 nesting pairs this season. This is in addition to my existing colony, details of which are below in my profile. For Martinwatch reporting purposes, I am interested in whether you consider this new house a separate colony, or is it simply an addition to my existing house?

The reason I ask is that there is some distance between the existing house and the new one. ( I wanted a second house closer to a nearby school, which is why I established the second T-14 where I did ).

Horizontal separation is .21 mile ( 370 yds ) , and the vertical separation is 130 feet of elevation difference. ie. the new house is down a steep partially wooded hill, so there is no visual connection between the two either.

So, again, my question is, when I submit my Martinwatch sheet this fall, do I treat both houses as one colony, or is the distance between them enough to constitute a new and separate colony?

Thanks for the advice,

Peter

Location: Pennsylvania/Farmington
Rural area, only known colony in Fayette County, PA
wooden T-14 with four Troyer horizontal gourds, Conley II entrances
2016 18 pairs, 70 fledged
2015 15 pairs, 40 fledged
2014 9 pairs, 29 fledged
2013 8 pairs, 20 fledged
2012 1 pair, 4 fledged
2011 1 pair, 4 fledged

[Forum Admin]

Either way will work - if all info for both sites comes from you, at the same mailing address, you could consider it one colony site, but it's up to you.