I have to follow husband to colony (4)
I believe the answer is:
hive
'colony' is the definition.
(I have seen 'Colony of bees ' mean 'hive' so perhaps 'colony' could also mean 'hive')
'i have to follow husband' is the wordplay.
'i have' becomes 'I've' (contraction of 'I have').
'to follow' says to put letters next to each other (some letters go after or follow others).
'husband' becomes 'h' (abbreviation).
'ive' after 'h' is 'HIVE'.
'to' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for hive that I've seen before include "Insects' home - site of much activity" , "Apiary abode" , "home of queen" , "store" , "Skin rash from an insect home" .)