Loss of field bees after a move

[Peakebrook]

I have read that when moving hives one can expect 10-15 % loss of queens.

Is there any data on the percent of field bees that are lost right after a move? Especially after periods of short confinement where reorientation may be a problem.

[David LaFerney]

Do you mean a short move or a long move of a mile or more? If you move a hive a few feet within the yard it is very difficult to get them to go with the hive - unless it is the only hive in the yard in which case they will probably figure it out after a period of confusion.

If you are making a long move and you close the bees into the hive when they are not out foraging they will pretty much all reorient to the new hive location when you turn them loose.

[Ben Franklin]

I have read that when moving hives one can expect 10-15 % loss of queens.

Is there any data on the percent of field bees that are lost right after a move? Especially after periods of short confinement where reorientation may be a problem.

Are you saying your loss 10 15 percent of Queens or bees?

[Peakebrook]

Closing the hives at night or early morning when they are not flying, and moving them more than two miles.

When hives are moved during poor weather when bees are naturally confined for three or more days, it is felt most field bees will reorient to their new location. Is there any information on loss of field bees when the bees are not confined for a long time during flying weather?

[Joseph Clemens]

I have been able to reduce queen loss during moves to almost 0% by caging the queens just prior to the move. Using a little queen candy and a few attendants in the cage, and fastening the cage between two frames of brood in the brood nest. Once they are in their new location, I then release the queens. Since I started doing this, I haven't lost a single queen.

Field bees, as has already been mentioned, can be retained, simply by confining them before they are out foraging, and before the move. If it is a short move, place an obstruction in front of the entrance the bees will have to fly around to exit, and they will promptly reorient. If the move is a long move, that step won't be necessary.

Though I am referring to nucs that customers take with them, and not colonies I am moving around, en mass. And most of these nucs have new frames with very little propolis or burr comb to help hold them in place, so they would move quite a bit, while traveling our rough access roads. Before I began caging nuc queens for their rides to their new homes, much more than 50% were lost. There is nearly a mile of very rough dirt road out to our place.

[jim lyon]

On a large scale closing hives isn't realistic. We do all of our bee moving nights and early mornings and when we are lucky enough to get a cool overcast day with few bees flying. About the only time we lose any hives are when they must be pooled in a holding yard for a day or two and the weather is warm enough for robbing activity on a few weaker hives. You will also experience some drift in that scenario. If you are simply moving a single yard of bees and only have them on a truck for a short period of time then it would be highly unusual to lose even a single hive. 10 to 15% queen loss? I have NEVER experienced anything remotely close to that.