Moving hives in the day

[mrsteam21]

I know that it is best to move hives at nighttime or when it is cold. Today I had to move 24 hives 300 feet away (property owner's demand). Will I lose all my field bees or will they find the hives? I have moved bees 25 feet before and they found the hive. In your experience how far can you go before they will be lost forever?

[Tom G. Laury]

You'll lose quite a few bees if there was a flow on. Less foraging less loss. You'll probably have many go back to where they were. Try putting a weak colony there to catch them then move it after a few days.

I thought Utah was the BEEHIVE state!?

[mrsteam21]

Yes we are the beehive state, but from what I understand we are not known for our honey. There are not nearly as many beekeepers hare as in other states.
At the old location it is like a giant swarm, bees everywhere (and angry). The property owner said no hives in that spot.

[jim lyon]

I like to do the ol double switch. Pick up a yard from a second location to move to the new spot and move the yard that needs relocated back to yard number two. A 300 foot move might be a bit messy assuming the landowner is going to be doing something at the original site.

[Bob Nelson]

"At the old location it is like a giant swarm, bees everywhere (and angry)."

Hopefully a couple lessons learned.

This sort of move does create a situation. Not knowing the whole story but if the land owner demanded they be moved immediately (daytime) he needed to be told of the consequences which you discovered. For that matter it would not been any different moving them this short distance morning or night.

Better get some catch hives in there to get them out of there. The switcharoo is good advice. If the landowner has not learned yet tell him to be patient for the process to work. It ain't as simple as moving cattle to another patch of grass.

Good luck. Bob Nelson