Relocating Bee Yard

[tshnc01]

Hello All,

My uncle (age approximately 75), who has kept bees about 50 years, has decided to get rid of his bees and graciously offered to give me his 16 hives.   We are both located in North Carolina about 120 miles apart.  There is no urgency in moving the hives; however I would appreciate any insight into the best timing for the move.  Would it be better to get them within the next few weeks, wait until the temps cool down in mid-fall, or wait as long as January or Feb?  Also, in terms of the actual move itself, does it make more sense to try and move them all at dusk/dark?  I have moved several hives locally, and usually do so as it is getting dark.  I guess if I did the move later in the year when temps are about freezing I could move the hives during the day.  Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated.

...Tim

[AllenF]

I like to move them in Jan/Feb when they are light and easy to move, right before you start feeding them.  But they can be moved at any time.

[rdy-b]

move them after you pull the honey suppers -did you inherit any equipment with the hives-RDY-B

[tshnc01]

Yep, seems like waiting until it is colder is a good idea....And rdy-b, as far as I know, it is just one deep, and 3 supers per colony.  It sounds like he hasn't harvested any honey this year, and doesn't plan to so for now, we will just leave the supers on the hives.

...Tim

[rdy-b]

16 hives with suppers is a lot of weight -what are you using for the move -truck- trailer ? RDY-B

[tshnc01]

rdy-b,

I don't think the supers will be full based on what my uncle has told me; however it is still a good amount of weight in total.  I have a 4x4 Chevy half-ton pickup and a 6x10 trailer.  I will probably split the load between the two.

...Tim

[AllenF]

Since it sounds like you are now in the bee biz with all those hives, you may want to look into buying a 2 man hive carrier.  It should make moving hives around easier.   http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Hive-Carrier/productinfo/935/