Moving an apiary

[POPZ]

I have 5 colonies I wish to move to a better winter site as soon as possible. Due to the terrain it is impossible to get a vehicle anywhere near to them. However the new site is only about 40 metres away from the existing site and so can easily be carried. Moving them all 3 miles and then returning them again to the new site would be very difficult.

I think it is possible to move colonies more than 3 meters when they are in winter cluster. Is this true, and what determines a movable winter cluster?

Thanks in anticipation for all your answers - please?
POPZ

[Stromnessbees]

Hi Popz

Michael Bush has the answer:

Moving beehives more than 2 feet and less than 2 miles
in http://www.bushfarms.com/beesmoving.htm

Due to a shortage of branches in Orkney I had to come up with my own version of this:
After moving the hive I hang a piece of cloth (held in place by 2 drawing pins) from the lid so that it hangs over the entrance without blocking it. Then I pull away the foam.

As the bees rush out they can't just fly straight off, but have to find their way round the cloth and re-orientate themselves.

In good old Austrian tradition, where we use different coloured entrances, you could choose a different colour of cloth for every hive, to make it easier for them to identify their home.

Best of luck, Doris

[Jon]

Due to a shortage of branches in Orkney...

LOL
brings to mind your argument with Andrew Abrahams re. who lives on the bleakest island!

I have moved a hive 40 feet in winter. If you wait for a really cold spell which lasts two weeks or more 99% of the flying bees will reorientate.
The other possibility would be to move 4 and leave the weakest one behind to pick up any returning bees.

[POPZ]

Doris! Great to hear from you. Gather you had a good time over that bit of water to that large island for the conference with some enhancing liquid?

Blimey, thanks for Mr. Bushes link, but that is so complicated I am still trying to get my head round it. But I guess it does mean one can move colonies at any time. I shall map all the instructions down into pictures which I hopefully will understand - simple stupid for me!

Hows things up your way? Ladies OK? I have just realised I never ordered mouseguards for my new hives, and knowing delivery times of a certain well known supplier I am now too late. Oh well - the challenge of making do.
POPZ

[POPZ]

Hi Popz Due to a shortage of branches in Orkney I had to come up with my own version of this:
After moving the hive I hang a piece of cloth (held in place by 2 drawing pins) from the lid so that it hangs over the entrance without blocking it. Then I pull away the foam.As the bees rush out they can't just fly straight off, but have to find their way round the cloth and re-orientate themselves.
Best of luck, Doris

Doris - only just read this part of your posting - apologies. Your method sounds extraordinarly easy, does it really work? How often have you tried it and is timing of any importance? I want to move them asap as sun is already getting too low for parts of the day(trees shading) , at my present site. I believe, and have been taught, that sun on the hive through the winter is more important than wind protection. Yes, wind protection is important but only as a simple barrier at hive height.
POPZ

[Stromnessbees]

Hi Popz

It was very difficult for me to get bees in Orkney last year after I had decided to take up beekeeping again. So when I finally got hold of a small colony they were very precious to me. In the evening I moved them to my garden, a distance of over 5 miles, and observed what happened after opening up the entrance the next morning:

The experienced flying bees all just rushed out of the entrance and flew off without looking back. I don't think many of them would have found their way back to the hive, and this was the only one in the area. It took a while before the colony had built up a good number of foragers again.

Since then I thought of using those little 'curtains' and I always have a few bits of cloth and drawing pins in the pocket of my beesuit to avoid unnecessary losses when I move a hive. I do the same when I make up nucs or unite two colonies.

I believe it also helps to let the bees know that they have been moved by giving the hive a bit of a bump, somebody even recommended to take the hive a short trip in a wheelbarrow over a bumpy track. It's tricking the bees into thinking that their tree has fallen over and that they need to find their new bearings before flying off.

As my apiary sites are all quite far apart from each other I don't get to move them over medium distances like your 40 m, so can't promise you that you won't have any losses. Waiting for a flightless period is not a bad idea, and certainly make sure all the bees are home at the time (move at night or in bad weather).

And don't forget to let us know how you got on,
Doris

[GRIZZLY]

Instead of branches and cloth,you can lightly stuff the entrance with GREEN grass.This will rapidly wilt and let the bees struggle out.They realise their surroundings have changed and immediately perform location flights.This stops the older "experienced" bees from rushing away and getting lost.We used to use this technique when we took bees to the heather "down south"in Wales and left them in a derelict quarry.

[Trog]

How about moving just half the hives, to see which site is best? In spring you'll be able to see which colonies have wintered better/build up faster, etc. Will they be 'warm way' or 'cold way'?