|
|
Post by northerngardener on Jun 10, 2015 13:49:25 GMT
I didn't want to hijack Bearfootfarmer's thread, so I'm starting a new one.
What do you all think about moving an established hive? I've read that you should only move the hive a few feet at a time until you get it to its new location. I've read that you should move it at night when all the bees are home and move it all at once to its new location. The one time we've moved a hive, we did it all at once, and for several days there was a group of bees at the old location who couldn't seem to find the hive. What is your experience?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2015 3:07:09 GMT
I've always moved hives at night. If you don't, all the foraging bees are left behind.
It really doesn't matter how far you move a hive, if you move it at night and make sure to do something to change the entrance, like putting leaves in front of it, to trigger re-orientation flights.
|
|
|
|
Post by copperkid3 on Jun 11, 2015 21:35:57 GMT
A lot of things are dependent on what you are trying to accomplish by a 'move'.
How far are you planning on moving the hive(s)? Ten feet? 25? a half mile....or more?
Bees can be moved at anytime and at the whim or convenience of the beekeeper. The bees will adapt accordingly.
Many times if you only have a few feet to get the new hive lined up with the rest of the colonies in an apiary (think of hiving a new swarm)
it can be done in stages....a few inches (or feet) each day. Or it can be done all at once; either in the daylight where you can usually see
the tree root that you might stumble over in the dark, or at night and take your chances. Instead of just losing those drifters or returning
forager bees, a nuc with a frame of eggs/young brood can be placed in the spot and can accomplish two things at the same time. Utilize those
'lost' bees and have them produce queen cells for replacements.....or the nuc can be picked up later and moved (at night) to another spot.
Easier and lighter than a full-size hive. It just depends on what all you want to do to accomplish the task(s) at hand.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2015 1:55:46 GMT
I agree with both of the previous posters.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2015 6:09:27 GMT
That's true copperkid3, You could use the lost foragers that way. I hadn't thought about that before.
|
|
|
|
Post by mikeinohio on Jun 14, 2015 16:53:09 GMT
Another option is to move the hive somewhere else (more than 5 miles away)and then move it back to where you want it after a few weeks. Moving the bees at night (or at least closing the hive entrance at night to move them in the morning). We just moved 2 of our hives where I closed them around midnight and then we got up at 6am to actually move them, about an hours drive away.
|
|
