as long as you give them a clear opening that is about two to three inches wide to find, (lemongrass oil helps that) and then as for closeness to the feral colony, some say no more then 800 feet, some say less. The idea is to put it somewhere close that is near what they need, water, and a land mark as they tend to navigate by sight at times. Other then that if the boxes you are using had been used prior for another hive it will help as the scent of the bees are already in it.