when to move a hive.

[jelder]

i have a situation, the people who have my hive on their property are selling up and moving, i have someone else who will take my hive.  the question is when do i move it, i understand that moving them late in the day is best, but is it a good time to move my hive now or should i wait a few months for the weather to get warmer

[Johnny253]

Yeah, move them late in the evening when all the bees are inside the hive.

I'd move them straight away. How far is the new site from the original site? You need to move them more than 5 km or some of the bees will return to where they were originally.

[jelder]

the new site is a fair distance (over 50 km so it should not be a problem.

[bernsad]

If it's pretty cold down there near the south pole and the girls aren't flying much you could even move them during the day if you are prepared to lose a few, but evening/nighttime is usual. And yes you can move them at this time of year, particularly if there is likely to be a bit of forage at their new destination.

[Wonga]

I want to move my hives within my yard, about 30 metres, as the bee flies - what do you reckon - one move? Two moves? Or 10?

Any advice?

[Johnny253]

The saying goes 'You can move them less than three feet or more than three miles.'

I've stretched it to about 2 metres at a time without too much problem, just takes the bees a little while to find their home.

Keep a close eye on them if you want to move them further than that at a time. You could try short shifts to start with and if they adapt to that okay, try longer shifts.

I'd suggest moving them in about 15 moves. Otherwise move them more than 5 km away for a while and then move them back to the new location.

[ShaneJ]

I think it is Michael that has some good information on his webpage about moving hives.

I believe that you can moved a hive a short distance and if you obstruct the entrance of the hive , when the bees leave they are forced to relearn? their location.

Shane

I want to move my hives within my yard, about 30 metres, as the bee flies - what do you reckon - one move? Two moves? Or 10?

Any advice?

[Wonga]

  OK, thanks

[Pete]

throw a leafy branch across the front of the hive after you move it, a few theories behind it, but it helps.