Branches and orientation

[KD4MOJ]

I was thinking(something new) when doing a spit and your putting something over the entrance of the spit why not put something over the main hive entrance also.

  Well that depends... which one are you moving? If your original hive stays put and your split is the one you are relocating, there is no reason to "branch" the main hive. They already know where home is.  :-D Only the one that you move needs to reorient.

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

[MacfromNS]

I was thinking(something new) when doing a spit and your putting something over the entrance of the spit why not put something over the main hive entrance also.

  Well that depends... which one are you moving? If your original hive stays put and your split is the one you are relocating, there is no reason to "branch" the main hive. They already know where home is.  :-D Only the one that you move needs to reorient.

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

What I was thinking was the ones that wanted to go back to the main hive would see that things done look the same anymore there.

[Michael Bush]

No matter what you do they will fly back to the old place.  The difference, when forcing them to reorient, is that they get back to the old place, can't find the hive and then think... "oh yea, I remember that branch now..."  and head back to the new place.  They will continue to go back to the old place for a couple of days out of habit every time.  Without the branch they will circle in wider and wider circles until they find an hive and move in.

[Occam]

Reviving an old thread here. I saw a member mentioned using a robber screen wondering if this would work to make the bees reorient. Has this ever worked for y'all? I know draping a branch over it can work, but was curious if a robber screen would work myself and then read this

[BeeMaster2]

Occam,
More than likely they will have to re orient to the new entrance so it should do the same. If you try it let us know how it works out.
Jim Altmiller

[Michael Bush]

Anything that blocks their normal path will cause them to reorient.

[Ben Framed]

Reviving an old thread here. I saw a member mentioned using a robber screen wondering if this would work to make the bees reorient. Has this ever worked for y'all? I know draping a branch over it can work, but was curious if a robber screen would work myself and then read this

Occam, Is this your only hive? The robbing screen is usually used in the residing location which bees are accustomed.  In this case you will not only be moving the hive, but adding the robbing screen simultaneously?

Let us know how this works out...

Phillip

[Occam]

Well I was thinking of it in regards to having a swarm trap on my property or a neighbors. In either case the colony would only be moved a few hundred yards at most. Was thinking a robber screen might work to force a reorient as well as a branch

[Ben Framed]

Wellness was thinking of it in regards to having a swarm trap on my property or a neighbors. In either case the colony would only be moved a few hundred yards at most. Was thinking a robber screen might work to force a reorient as well as a branch

And it might. I like your thinking outside of the box. Let us know how it works out..