I have a couple of mating nucs that are busting at the seams and are ready for ten frame boxes. Problem is that the new spot I would to put them is only 200 feet away. My plan was to move them to one of my other areas for a while and then bring them back later. The question is how long to leave them before I move them back? The move will be 10 miles to one of my other yards.
At least 3 days
I would just move them the 200ft late in the evening when most of the foragers were back at home and place a branch or something over the entrance to help them reorient. I have found that when using a robbing screen like the ones Brushy sells, the bees will do an orientation flight after they finally find their way out of it.
Quote from: VolunteerK9 on June 26, 2011, 04:39:56 PM
I would just move them the 200ft late in the evening when most of the foragers were back at home and place a branch or something over the entrance to help them reorient. I have found that when using a robbing screen like the ones Brushy sells, the bees will do an orientation flight after they finally find their way out of it.
This is the way to make short moves. Robber screens work very well for forcing the bees to reorientate after a move.
I make my own robber screens that I can affix with a couple of screws and I can seal up the entrance just by placking a strip of tape over the top of the robber screen.
Moving them several miles, then back again, is a waste of time and effort.
In the evening place the robber screen in place with tape already attached sealing the entrance. Then affix to the hive so it doesn't come off during the move. Once in the new location remove the tape to allow the bees to come and go. In the morning they will reorientate because of the obstruction (new route) in and out of the hive.
The robber screens sounds like a good idea that I have not used before. I have lots of them for my hives already. Will report back on how the move worked out, thanks for the help all.
Terry
I think you should move them to my farm at night and leave them there for a total of 3 months just to be safe. Then come August you can move the back to your place.
Brian
Do your robber screens block the whole bottom board? I have always made them 3/4" short so there is still a small enterence but most of the colony bee's use the top of the screen. I will have to try useing them for short moves.
Quote from: danno on June 27, 2011, 12:18:19 PM
Terry
I think you should move them to my farm at night and leave them there for a total of 3 months just to be safe. Then come August you can move the back to your place.
Brian
Do your robber screens block the whole bottom board? I have always made them 3/4" short so there is still a small enterence but most of the colony bee's use the top of the screen. I will have to try useing them for short moves.
I make my robber screens so that the encase the full length of the entrance. I allow an entrance space at the top of the robber screens. I do this for 3 reasons: 1: The robber bees have an extra hurdle to gain entrance, 2: It allows to better guard the entrance because then can do it at 2 levels, and 3: A strip of tape across the top closes up the hive for moving.
Dan, If you were closer I would drop you off a couple. I have run out of everything for now.
Moved the nucs last night at dark. I also moved a full size hive to the same spot too. They were 300 hundred feet away.
This evening the nucs look normal with no bees at the old stand. The full size hive has a hundred or so bees at the old location where the box with foundation was set for them. I placed robber screens and a wild cherry branch on both of them.
The only down side is I will have to check them and move the box twice a day. Once at dark and one more time in the morning. How long to leave the robber screens on ?
Terry
I leave my robber screens on all summer. When I take them off they get replaced with mouse guards. R screens and M guards are stored in the vented covers
Brian
I build my screens fashioned after the design in Laidlaws Queen Rearing and Bee Breeding book. They are about 4 - 5 inches tall with #8 wire and just abit short of the bottom rails on the bottom board. I screw them in off center leaving a normal very small bottom enterence. Maybe 1/2 - 3/4 inch. This can be guarded by just a couple of bee's. The top of the screens just like yours are open and used heavly by the colony. To move a colony I put a pc of duct tape over the top of the screen and push a small wad of paper or grass in the 1/2 - 3/4 hole