Moving hives thirty feet for the winter

[flyboy]

I am thinking about moving my three hives to a nice dry area under a section of the house where it is nice and dry. The winters here on the "wet coast" of Canada are not really that cold with only a smattering of small snowfalls, but it is very rainy. Generally it runs around 5 degrees Celsius (41 F) all winter. I was going to build a shelter over them and then figured, why not move them to the new spot? It is about 30 feet away.

In between rain I have noticed lots of bees coming back with pollen. I am totally amazed at that.

So any thoughts on moving the hives. Good idea, bad idea? Any tips?

[OldMech]

I would normally wait until they were ensconced for the winter and just move them.. in your case.. they may be flying regularly.. i am jealous...   Move your hives when the bees are within,, cold rainy day would be good.. then put something in front of the entrance.. i prefer a piece of plywood about eight or nine inches in width..  something to make them STOP when they go to fly away, and realize something is different....  they will re orient and you should be fine.
   if you move them when the work force is OUT, those bees will return to the original location, and may even cluster there..  30 feet... they should find their hive, OR, be accepted at another hive. If they cluster at the original location, take them to their hive and shake them off in front of it, they will get the hint.
   

[jayj200]

Down here I have moved them 1ft, 2ft, and 40ft because I too had herd the anticdotel musings

In EVERY instance the same things occurred
all day the bees would try to go home to the original location
well in all the cases above we placed an empty hive box and the girls went in.
at night I would go and look. yup every time the boxes were empty.
they found the hive by nightfall. which is a good thing

[iddee]

Wait until the pollen subsides. Once the flow is over, all you need in the hive are winter bees. Move them anytime. If some don't make it back, it will be less of a drain on the stores, as the foragers will be dead before winter. Why let them mooch for the few weeks they have left and not doing anything? It's better for the colony if they don't make it back.

[Dallasbeek]

Wait until the pollen subsides. Once the flow is over, all you need in the hive are winter bees. Move them anytime. If some don't make it back, it will be less of a drain on the stores, as the foragers will be dead before winter. Why let them mooch for the few weeks they have left and not doing anything? It's better for the colony if they don't make it back.

Iddee, you are COLD, man :lau:

[iddee]

Most commercial beeks will remove hives from pollination in the middle of a warm day, in order to not have to feed the foragers and only keep the house bees that are going into the winter.

Yes, I am cold.
LIFE IS COLD.

[Dallasbeek]

Yup, life IS cold
And we have grown soft
Any you make a good point

It just sounds a little cold-hearted to speak the truth, but we have to do those things that need to be done.  I was just kidding you a little. Sorry if I sounded critical.  Actually, I'm a little cold-hearted myself, but not necessarily about bees.

[iddee]

If critical makes me laugh, I guess you were critical. I got a kick out of it.

I'm not like Joe, or Joseph, or yoseph if that's the way he says it, or maybe it's yo'self, up in the greetings forum.   :evil:   :-D

[GSF]

Good point Iddee.

flyboy, I'm in the process of "somewhat" centralizing my hives in my yard. The yard being where I live at. I've caught a half dozen swarms or so and hived them where they were caught. I started a month or so ago moving them toward the 5 hive stand I built just for them. I have 9 hives in place now. I'm moving them about 3 to 6 or 7 feet at a time. I believe it was Michael Bush that told me once they return and find their hive missing they will start flying in an expanding circle like fashion until they smell their hive smell. I can't say if it's smelling that zero's them in but I have noticed everything else he said about it to be right.

[biggraham610]

Wow, I never thought about that Iddee. Thats a good move, lighten the load a little. Im like GSF, and will be cetralizing. I need to move 3 hives about 50 yds. Guess I will just do it without all the worry once the pollens gone. Thanks. G

[rookie2531]

Awesome, learning everyday  :)