G'day all
Just a quick question. I bought another hive two weeks ago from a farmer who lived only about 1km from my other hives in Sheffield. That being the case i brought the hive back to my home 20kms away and placed it in a position which is not ideal (not enough sun,fairly shady). How long do i need to wait before i can take the hive back to my other hives?
It's currently a sunny 8c today here in Tassie. The bees that are in the sun are out working bringing back some pollen from something.
cheers Taz
Hi Taz,
Long enough for the current batch of foragers to croak it. Maybe a month and a half to 2...depending on how hard the whip is cracking on them.
Move them again after 3 days....
What's the thinking on 3 days?
The time it takes bees to forget. Lock your bees in for 3 days. When released, they will immediately reorient.
I need to move two hives about 120 yards away from their current location. I was planning to move them today about 3 miles away, then move them back to the new / permanent location next week. Could I, as an option, just lock them in the hive today, move them 120 yards away, then on Saturday reopen?
You can move them tonight, then block the entrance, but not fully, and they will be ok. Lean a half sheet of plywood against the front, fill the entrance with grass, lay a leafy limb or two across the entrance, etc.
There may be some that return to the original site, but will find the hive within a couple days.