View Full Version : Is moving necessary?
A Farmer here in my area rent about 10 hives for orchard & berry production. The farm is about 600 acres all in one area. He is moving the hives to a new field of what ever is blooming at the time, maybe ever 2 to 3 weeks. With a farm that small is this necessary? The moves would be less than a 1/4 mile each.
Probably not. The bees will work whatever they want in a two mile radius anyway.
FordGuy
12-27-2005, 09:07 AM
I have heard ross's sentiment echoed here quite often, and as a new beekeeper I can't really dispute it, but sometimes I think we new guys have a fresh set of eyes to look at things.
How can it not encourage them to work the close nectar? Bees like every other creature God made take the path of least resistance. They may have preferences, such as if you put 10% sugar to 90% water right next to 50% sugar to water, they may prefer the higher sugar content. But all things beign equal, they are about survival and if you put them right on top of an apple orchard in full bloom, that may not be determinative, but the proximity to the food source has got to be a factor in their decision. I think timing may also be a factor, such as if they are 'turned on' to a peach orchard already, they may not be inclined to switch to the apples in my hypothetical.
I give a questioning answer because there has to be room for an explanation for the eyewitness accounts as to why bees will sometimes completely ignore a high grade nectar source such as clover.
Michael Bush
12-27-2005, 10:20 AM
Bees are creatures of habit. They will work one bloom, as a group, until it gives out, unless they are just "filling in" with a little of this and a little of that. They often fly right by blooms that are close to work the ones they are working. It's part of what makes them useful as pollenators. You can bring them into a place where something has just bloomed and they usually will work the close blooms at first. Then they will work it until it gives out or they find a much better source. But if you have them there to start with, they may ignore what you want to pollenate and fly right by it. If you're moving them three miles or more to bring them into an orchard this is useful. If you're moving them a mile or so, they will return to the old location and that just disrupts things a lot, and they will probably continue to work the blooms they were already working.
Nick Noyes
12-27-2005, 05:51 PM
I have had orchard guys do this also(makes it really hard to find your hives in the middle of the night)I think it hurts them worse than it helps. You usually lose a good number of your field force because the are looking for thier home that is supposed to be on the other side of the orchard 1/4 mile away. To be effective they need to move the bees several miles for a day or two and then bring them back or bring in new hives and rotate them to were they want them. This is sometimes hard to explain to a grower paying for pollination.