Moving bees in the same yard?

[DaveKow]

Hello, I have a question about moving bees in the same yard.  I am getting my first 2 packages of bees in April.  I am stressing over where to put them on my 2 acres.  I would like to keep them in one spot for summer and another to overwinter.  (back of garage to block wind).  Can I move these without losing all of my foragers?  Thanks and don't be afraid to ramble.  The more info the better.  Thanks. 

[suprstakr]

I would moove them at first frost , all will be inside .

[DaveKow]

When they do a cleansing flight, will they fly to the old site?

[annette]

When you move them you would place a piece of brush near the opening so they have to reorient when they come out.
Read more on moving bees on Michael Bush's web site.http://www.bushfarms.com/beesmoving.htm

Annette

[johnnybigfish]

One thiing you might consider...The boxes are probably gonna be alot heavier in fall than they are in the spring. I just carried one upper hive box(the brood box size) full of mixed frame sizes of honey about 120 feet yesterday and i'm gonna pay for that for about the next 6 weeks (Wrenched my back). You might want to build a little cart like i'm gonna do, that way you only have to bust your "DONKEY" for a little way!
  (It doesnt take much to pull my back out anymore..My mind says"Yes I can" but my body says" You dope!..You should have known better!")
your friend,
john

[jimmyo]

I believe I heard an old timer say two feet or two miles nothing between.  They can get confused and go back to the old site instead of the new site. 
  we move ours at night to another location for a week or so then back to the new location in the apiary.
  Jim 

[sc-bee]

Two feet or two miles also heard three feet or three miles!!! Either way you get the idea.

I have tried the branch method with success @ times and not @ others. If you move them after it is cold when they have to hold up for a few days ( I understand 3 days or so ) there should be no problem. They should re-orient.

If only two hives and you have an alternate area to move them for a week or so move them to the alternate yard and then back to your place.

The branch method is however worth a try!!! As stated above MB gives a good explanation on his site as always. Thanks MB!!!

[DaveKow]

Thank you all for your answers.  I think I will start planning my windbreak instead of moving them.  At least, for my first year. 

Thanks again.

[johnnybigfish]

Hey Dave, Check this out!
I made a windbreak(out of limbs, sticks, and logs) last summer to be ready for the fall and winter.....By the time winter got here my windbreak had gone from about 12 to 15 feet high to about the height of a little beaver dam!!
One of the guys here referred to it as a beaver dam...I must have laffed for 2 days every time i turned on my computer to come here!
your friend, john

[Brian D. Bray]

If you move them as you stated the best way is to move after 1st frost when the have begun clustering,  Place an entrance reducer on the hive after the move--set at the smallest setting--which will make the foragers reorientate on the new location.  Limbs, boards, straw and such do not always work but the bees always notice a smaller entrance.

[Cindi]

Dave, missed you, but a little late.  Welcome to our forum.  You have already noticed this is a great place to ask questions and get some good answers.  Tell us a little about yourself in the Greetings/tell us about yourself forum.  It is nice to hear a little background on our new forum members.  We are all a little nosey crew around here (oops, maybe I should speak for myself only, hee, hee, smiling), ;) :) :)

Welcome, tell us about your experiences with the bees that you will have, it is fun to hear this kind of stuff.  Have a wonderful and awesome day, lovin' our life.  Cindi