The water company is going back in the alley behind my house next week to work on the sewer line. My hive (top bar) is on the other side of the fence so I'm concerned about what might happen with all the activity, equipment noise etc. I fear if even one person is stung the city will make me remove them and I have no options for taking them more than 20 or so feet away. The best solution I can come up with is locking them up the night before, moving it as far away as possible and hope the work doesn't last too long. How long can I keep them captive? The weather here (San Antonio) is warming up to low 80s during the day. Anything I should do before shutting it up? I'll plan to force a reorientation once I open it back up.
Thanks
I suppose you already have pollen there, any idea of how close they will be? If I were to close up a hive at this time, I would put in 1:1 and a pollen patty so as not to disrupt them to much. Bad timing for you bees. Good luck maybe someone else has a solution you can use. -Mike
We've had some moisture and the bees have been pretty darn busy foraging for the last few weeks. The winter was so mild the hive never really went into winter mode and there's been drones hanging around a good while. I actually pulled a couple of honey bars to make some room fearing they were going to swarm after the first of the year, which may still happen. I'll open it up and see what they have for stores beforehand but I suspect there's plenty. Thanks.
I forgot to answer your question about how close the workers will be. In the hive's current position, I suspect they could be on the other side of my privacy fence just a few feet away. The hive is directed towards the fence to make them fly up and avoid direct paths to people and they would still have to do that. The level of hive activity is pretty intense during the day and there are LOTS of bees in the air coming and going all directions. I should probably mention, these aren't africanized bees...but they aren't "gentle italians" either. You don't go in to the hive unsuited. They won't attack you, but if you're standing within 10 feet of the hive for for too long, there's a good chance one of the girls is going to come out and ask you to move along.
I had pretty much the same problem with my two hives recently. I closed them up for the night and moved them about 30 feet in one case and 50 in tihe other, placed a barrier in front of the entrances, about 10 inches from the front of the hives, and opened the hives. This forced the bees exiting the hives to re-orient. None of the bees tried to go back to where the hives had been, so the problem was solved. After two days, I removed the barrier. So long as the bees have cause to realize their situation has changed, they will adapt.
Michael Bush has some good advise for moving on his web site.
I would move them for sure.
They MUST have plenty of ventilation when you "shut them in". I have some screen covers that give them about 1/2 of the front of my langs. Once they realize the are caged, they get pretty agitated for a while, and try desperately to find any crack or hole you may have overlooked.
A cool dark garage, if possible, would be OK for a few days. Simulating rain, with a lawn sprinkler and a sunshade, might help if you must leave them out & "free".
Obstructing the entrance after moving is great advice.
Good luck
I'm going to cover the entrance with screen mesh to maximize ventilation. As if this weren't complicated enough, the hive swarmed this afternoon! I'm sure they will be extra cranky. I'm crossing my fingers there isn't a Virgin queen ready to take her mating flight until I open it up again. Thanks.
I try never to confine them any longer than necessary. 12 hours can kill them on a hot day. Put them in the shade. Have a feeder full of water so they can cool the hive. Maximize ventilation if they are confined.