I had a couple of hives on cotton at one of my friends farm soon after it started blooming. The one hive was doing so good I decided to move my other 3 over there to finish out the season. My question is, should I pull them off before they defoliate the cotton? That will happen about October 15 and I was planning on bringing them back home for the winter. I just don't know if I should wait till they defoliate and the flow tapers off or will it hurt them to take them off of a strong nectar flow like that this late it the year. Will they have a large population built up and then die off or eat up the stores because of lack of nectar?
Definitely take them off before they defoliate the spray they use will hurt them for sure
Take them off in the middle of a warm day, moving house bees only and leaving the foragers.
Thanks for the input. Iddee, I hadn't even thought about pulling them out and leaving the field bees. In a way I hate to leave them all out there but that sounds like a good way to solve the problem.
why wait cotton flow been over. they will bee picking here 1st of next week
I guess we are a little behind here. They won't be picking here for a month or so. One thing I was wondering. One of the hives is kind of weak, I was wondering if it would help to leave it there a week after I pull the other hives so the field bees from the others would go to that hive and help it out a little.
Quote from: kenthold on September 27, 2013, 10:42:28 AM
I guess we are a little behind here. They won't be picking here for a month or so. One thing I was wondering. One of the hives is kind of weak, I was wondering if it would help to leave it there a week after I pull the other hives so the field bees from the others would go to that hive and help it out a little.
I have done that before and it helped the weak hive. I have also switched places with a weak and strong hive to help a weak hive.