Best time to move bees

[tucker0104]

When is the best time to move bees? I am moving them less then 3 feet show it shouldn't really effect them, right? Does it matter if I turn their hive 90 degrees?

[Beregondo]

If I'm moving the bees a short distance like a few feet I move them mid day/eraly afternoon when forages are out.
The only reason I do that is i don't have to lift the weight of the foragers..on a nuc or a hive with only a small population I don't wait but just move it.

Of course of you were moving them somewhere farther that the bees wouldn't find so easily, you'd screen then after dark when all the bees were in for the night either:

move them two miles or more

Put something in front of the entrance to trigger reorienting, or

Leave them in for three days or so (most of the foragers will reorient after three days).

[Joel]

The general rule is 2 feet or 2 miles. We turn hives all the time and they will figure it out. It is kind of comical to watch them fly in from afield and try to deduce what happened. I tend not to go 90 but do 2 45's when I have to turn a hive.

We like to move our hives at night after field workers are in or early morning if it's cool - to prevent field loss. If you move hives at night after dark expect to get stung - since they don't fly at night they will crawl all over your suit and eventually find a leak. A light at night is no help because all the guards will fly to the light and you'll just loose field workers. Normally a majority of the field workers are in by 6-7 pm and it is still light enough to avoid that issue.

OK - now all the rest of the migratory guys can laugh and point fingers at me!

[jim lyon]

Joel: Sounds like good advice to me. I usually prefer early morning over early evening. Get yourself really dark clothing for night work. If it is dark enough sometimes its better to just take off your veil. If the bees are hanging out by all means smoke them, it will get them crawling back in the hive where they belong.

[tucker0104]

Thanks for the help.

[Joel]

Joel: Sounds like good advice to me. I usually prefer early morning over early evening. Get yourself really dark clothing for night work. If it is dark enough sometimes its better to just take off your veil. If the bees are hanging out by all means smoke them, it will get them crawling back in the hive where they belong.

I agree, morning moves on a cool morning are best for move under an hour. It always helps to be fresh and ready to go. I had nover thought about dark clothing at night but it makes perfect sense because what little they can make out in the dark is usually the idiot in the bright white suit reflecting in the moonlight! Usually when we are moving we are moving 700 miles and need the long of the night to keep em cool.