Moving a hive in winter

[B100B101]

Hi all,

I have one hive on a rooftop in New York City. The people who own the house where the hive sits want to move it ASAP.

Is it possible to move them in winter? Will they survive? So far they are overwintering well. Is a Spring move preferable?

Thanks for any advice. I'm pretty brokenhearted about this, and want to do my best by my bees.

[Michael Bush]

>Is it possible to move them in winter?

Yes. It's better to move them when it's flying weahter and the bees that fall down have enough heat to move around and get back to the main cluster, but people move them to California from all over the country, in February every year.

>Will they survive?

Probably.

>So far they are overwintering well. Is a Spring move preferable?

IMO Spring is preferable. But you do what you have to.

>Thanks for any advice. I'm pretty brokenhearted about this, and want to do my best by my bees.

If you have to move them, then move them. If it can wait until Spring, wait.

[Henry]

I am no expert but if you move bees in cold weather and break the cluster loose you may kill the colony. Try to explain that to the owners. I would wait untill a 60 degree day if possible.
Henry

[Henry]

It just happen to be 60 here today. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[sqkcrk]

If I were you I'd move them when they'd be less apt to want to fly. The "right" time to move is when you can or when you have to. Moving them won't break the cluster unless you drop the hive. A good friend of mine has spent the last two weeks working his bees in his parking area, at his house. He brought his hives home and then took the honey off of them. In many cases he had to shake bees out of the honey supers. One frame at a time. He did this until he had a truck full. His truck is 28 feet long. So my opinion is that you should move the bees when you can, ASAP.

You don't happen to be the guy from the July 2005 issue of FARMING the Journal of Northeast Agriculture, do you?

Mark

[FordGuy]

with a story like "i got a hive on a guy's roof, and he wants me to remove it" you no doubt have a **** good story that goes along with that, and I can't be the only one that wants to hear it.

[sqkcrk]

FordGuy, check out the magazine that I mentioned and you'll find out about David Graves and his 17 hives on the rooftops of buildings in New York City. What I'd like to know is how does someone like him get his bees on to and off of the rooves. Does he take them up and down in the elevator? The article mentions how Graves takes bees to schools for demonstrations, observation hives of course. Graves went to Harlem one time to collect a swarm. But the police wouldn't let him take it off the lamp post. Another beekeeper collected it for the Central Park Zoo.

Mark

[B100B101]

Hi Fordguy,

Yes, it's a good story. In fact, I turned it into a stand-up comedy routine, which I performed as the after-dinner speaker at the PA State Beekeepers banquet in Lewisburg, PA in November.

Sqkcrk, I'm not the FARMING guy. I'm a girl in Manhattan, New York City

[BjornBee]

The story of how she got them up there, which I have heard, is no doubt going to be better than the story of them being moved. Sorry to hear the outcome.

I would move them the first day its close to 50. Close them up tight, move them, and wait a while after the move before you remove the tape or wood blocks, etc. You may have little brood to lose now, but the bees will still be able to cluster and regroup during a day move with temps close to 50. Duct tape everything.

Are you taking them back out the same way you got the equipment up there? (Of course not one piece at a time, just the route?) And this may be a good story, of a bad situation.

Good luck.

[B100B101]

Hi Bjorn,

Moving these bees is going to be a major challenge.

As you know, I assembled and painted the woodenware up on the roof, and hived the packages up there. It was no picnic, because everything had to go up a steep ladder in an indoor crawl space, and exit out of a trap door onto the 4th floor brownstone roof.

I may have to:
1) duct tape and strap the hive together
2) Rent a truck with a small crane/boom to bring the hive to street level.
3) Or, construct some kind of winch to bring the hive down the crawl space, into the elevator, and to the street

At that point, I must load the hive into a bee friend's pickup truck, and drive the bees about 60 miles to another bee friend's home on Long Island, where they've been offered sanctuary.

So, all, please weigh in about whether you think they'll survive, now that you know what they'll have to endure.

Oh how angry I am about the ignorant Block Assn that is harrassing my friends whose roof is home to my hive.

Re Mr. Graves, please private message me.

[Barry Digman]

The story of how she got them up there, which I have heard, is no doubt going to be better than the story of them being moved. Sorry to hear the outcome....Good luck

That's it? "Good luck"????
Gitcher bee buddies and git a posse over there to New York Ciiiiity and help the lady move her livestock. Sheesh. Yankees.
An don't be puttin bees out on Lawn Guy Land. Head 'em back west, even if ya can't make it to the sane side of the Mississippi.

Almost forgot. Take a look at how some of the pollinators move their stuff. I'd think the less handling the better, but distance and temperature don't seem to be as critical.

[size="1"][ December 27, 2005, 08:20 PM: Message edited by: coyote ][/size]

[Michael Bush]

I'd seal up a box at a time and bring them down. You can make temporary lids out of cardboard if you have to and duct tape them on. Preferably on a warm day. If you can get some nuc boxes, you could even bring them down a five frame nuc box at a time, on a nice day.

[BjornBee]

Coyote, Somehow I don't think B100B101 has any trouble finding a few healthy strong male types to give her a hand.

[Barry Digman]

healthy strong male types to give her a hand

Oh no ya don't. I was clearly gender neutral when I said "buddies". Highly skilled, motivated, experienced beekeeper buddies of any flavor will do as long as they can rescue those bees from the pit of NYCeeeee and do it without annoying the Blockhead Ass., or whoever makes up rules about how other people should live.

[Robert Hawkins]

Hey B100B101, did you catch MB's suggestion. You haven't described the hive to us but if I assume two deeps w/ ten frames each it would fit into four five frame nucs. That's a lot safer on that ladder. What's your temps like?

Hawk

[George Fergusson]

This is simple. I'd obtain about 5 stories worth of stout rope and lower them over the of the building. About 80' of 1/2 manilla would be my preference. If there isn't much overhang you might need to fashion an outrigger of some sort to keep the hive from banging/dragging against the side of the building. You'd also want a good crew.

When I was a small child about 4 years old we lived in New York City for a couple of years with my grandmother. The apartment was on the 12th floor. When we move out, we took a grand piano with us. The movers lowered out the window. The street was quite busy and in typical NY fashion, nobody even noticed.

Obviously, you'd want to fashion a sturdy harness for the hive, strap everything together well, and screen the entrance, and be very very careful. The only trick would be getting it over the edge without banging/jostling the hive too much. A guy rope or 2 would be smart, to keep the hive from swinging around in the wind, breaking windows, etc.

You might want to enlist the aid of some professionals. A professional mover could do it, but I'd contact an Arborist- they routinely take down large trees and lower pieces of tree trunk to the ground around wires, cars, dog houses, and flower beds without damage. Whoever you select, they might be willing to do it pro bono, for the advertising and exposure. If you pitch it to them that way, throw in the sob story, appeal to their sense of duty and honor, and mention that you intend to contact the media (milk it baby, for everything it's worth!) I'll bet they'd do it for a song. Or a dance. Or a song and dance.

This kind of thing doesn't happen every day, not even in New York City. I'm sorry you have to move your hive, but accept the inevitable and make the best of a bad situation: Get on TV [img]smile.gif[/img]

George-

[BjornBee]

Coyote, your correct! It was me who suggested some "strong healthy male types". Never suggested you said anything. About the only thing you suggested was that she needed the help to begin with.....

BTW, It may not be "PC" and all, but I would not of asked any "lady" type beekeepers to ride along with me to lift and move hives off the roof. I know them there "girls" in the west are a little man-ly and rough lookin', but I would of asked a few non-lady types to do this sort of work.

[FordGuy]

whatever you decide, we will require a step by step photographic analysis after the fact.

I'd say MB had the best solution. tape lids to top and bottom then the box should be stable enough to ease down on a rope to a waiting friend below with a pickup truck.

they'll make it. bees r tough. specially noo yawk bees.

[George Fergusson]

>I know them there "girls" in the west are a little man-ly and rough lookin'

Ah yes, you mean where the women are strong and the men are good looking, and all the kids are above average.

Never underestimate the strength, endurance, and determination of women! I tried it when I was young and stoopid, and got my clock cleaned. When it comes to beekeeping, I believe women are as well suited for it as anyone. My perspective is if the work you're doing requires brute strength, you're doing it wrong [img]smile.gif[/img]

Then there is the whole giving birth thing. There is a very good reason, apart from biology, why women are so well suited for that role. They can take it. Men wouldn't have a chance [img]smile.gif[/img]

[BjornBee]

Georgette, ...er I mean...Georgie.... oh, never mind.

>got my clock cleaned.

There a saying when in the company of men. Something along the lines of "now thats a story, better off not said!" Usually it involves panties, make-up, or...or...getting your clock cleaned by a girl. I am sure your not afraid of your masculinity, as the saying goes. Hard to be afriad of something not there huh?.....

>Ah yes, you mean where the women are strong and the men are good looking, and all the kids are above average.

Geesh george, I said "out West". I didn't specifically say San Francisco.