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other close hive location

3K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  FlowerPlanter 
#1 ·
Hi,
After some of my hives was washed by a flood, i want to locate all of then 30 meters from the original location, with the entrences in the same direction.
Does the bees will find their hive in the next morning or
i will loose a lot of them ?
What is the best way to move them?
Thanks,
Randi, Israel
 
#2 ·
Hi, Randi. It is better to move your bee hives almost before sunset because all the foragers will be back into the hives by then. If not then they will get lost the next day when sunrise again after you moved their hives.
So losing them or not depending on at what time of the day you are moving them. If you move your hives during 10 to 3 pm then lots of foragers will be lost for sure. But in case of an emergency flooding then you have to move them otherwise you will lost all of your hives when the water comes. At least you can salvage your hive with some bees still in there and rebuild again. On a short distance you can use a screen to cover the hive entrance and move them.
Also, make sure the hives do not get flooded again that you have to put them in higher grounds. If 30 meters is higher ground out of the flood zone then your bees are fine. If moving 30 meters is still in the flood zone then you will have to move them again on the next flood. So it is better if you could put them in higher grounds away from the water. And make sure they are protected from the high winds too. Hope they are doing o.k.
 
#3 ·
Hi beepro and thank you for your answer

Now, my hives are not in a risk to be flooded again
but in a risk of thiefs :(, because after the flood, i lift them up
3 meters from their original location in the same line and entrence direction
and now they are well seen from the road and i affraid that someone
very nice and kind will take them to his place as it happen alot
in our area :(

The new location is an hidden one with no risk to be flooded.

If i am transfering the hive in night time 30 meters, does
they will remember in the morning the new location and won't get lost
trying to find theur hive in the old location?

Thanks again,
Randi, Israel
 
#5 ·
Rusty is correct. Anything that changed their location and they are unfamiliar with it will make them reorient to the new location the next day. So they will not get lost. At first, you might see lots of bees confused a bit trying to hover around the hive entrance. But after they got it then everything back to normal again.
I use pink foam to reduce their entrance at night time. Then in the day time they would fly out at 10am thru the small entrance. Then I went out to removed the pink foam in the noon time so the entrance is back to normal again. Many field bees came back and kinda confused of why the color changed and with a bigger entrance. Some hover around for awhile and finally went inside. Other bees just treat it as a routine and just went in no problem because I do this process every night after the sunset. The weather is still cold at night time. On my first day removing the foam hundreds of bees just flying around outside all confused. Then after an hour or so they settled down.
I also would not put the hives where other people can see them. If they stole them then it is just a waste of time and money for moving them there. Maybe you can use a landscape fabric to screen in a circle so others cannot see them from far away. They see the screen but not sure what is inside. Where there are thieves your work is not safe with the bees. Try to find another safer location away from the flood and thieves if you can. Otherwise this is the risk you have to take for so much troubles already.
 
#7 ·
2 ft or 2 miles without a problem. Can you move them 2 ft a day?

I have tried the branch although it may have made a difference with some bees I still had allot.

Leaving an empty hive at the old location works, you will move the ones that can't figure it out for a few days.

I heard you can put a towel over the front of the hive forcing them to exit on the sides of the hive and the will reorient themselves, have not tried it yet.
 
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