I am new at this beekeeping hobby and I seem to have a small issue with some of my older bees. I initial set my bee yard in a good area, but as spring progressed along, it became apparent to me that the hives where too cool during the daylight hours. So, I more the bee yard a hundred yards or so. Now the hives are doing a most better job, the numbers are up, the day flights are strong and the brood has expanded to great numbers. Now the small problem....I have a couple hundred ( many be more like 5 to 6 hundred) bees returning to the old yard. I have placed a nuc in the old yard and they all moved right in. Is this all for not, or is there a way to return the lost bees home?
Good Morning Bill, A good rule of thumb is to move your hives one foot or two miles. To move them 100 yards is not a good idea. You may try to combine them into the new location,but you may find that they still return to the old one. It sounds like you did move them to a better location if they are growing. Have a good day.
Thanks for the response...I know that I shouldn't move them, but I was worried that they wouldn't grow enough to survive the Minnesota long and cold winter (with exception; winters of late). So, am I hearing you correctly, the lost bees are a lose? No pun intended!
Thanks,
Bill
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Pepper1079: Good Morning Bill, A good rule of thumb is to move your hives one foot or two miles. To move them 100 yards is not a good idea. You may try to combine them into the new location,but you may find that they still return to the old one. It sounds like you did move them to a better location if they are growing. Have a good day.
Hi, Bill. "Everyone" says bee hives cannot be moved 100 yards but this is not so. If you are willing/able to spend the time, it can be done. I move a hive 25 feet every year with complete success. To read a detailed description of the process, address <pugetsoundbees.org>, click on Resources, scroll to the bottom and click on Forum, click on "Maximizing the Spring Honey Crop", scroll down to "Appendix A". Dan
Hi Bill, There is one other option for you. If you have a friend or some one three or miles away from your yard, you can move the bees to that location for a short period and then a week or more later move them to your permenant location. I moved two hives this summer one mile and some of the older bees went back to the old place. I to set up a nuc for them which they went right in and I hauled them back and shook them in to their hive and the next day they were back at the old site at which time I gave up. The hives did well with out them so I wouldn't worry too much about them.
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