relocating a hive

[buzzbee]

I was wondering if I can relocate a hive abut 1/2 of a mile and use the tree branch to make them reorient to the new location. Does this need to be a pine bough or just any old branch. Do you cover the entrance completly or do you give them plenty of room.
There is a field with a very large population of wildflowers at this location and I figured a shorter flight distance could be beneficial.          Thaks

[Understudy]

Use a bunch of small branches in a pile in front of the entrance. That will force a reorientation. All should be good after that.

You may want to leave a decoy hive at the old location to catch straglers.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[Brian D. Bray]

Any obstacle of size will suffice to make the bees re-orientate when a hive is moved.  By size I mean it should be long enough to reach from the top of the hive to the ground and placed in such a way as to force the bees to swerve when exiting the hive.
Placing an empty to catch those who fail to re-orientate is also a good move.