[Riley]

The landowner at one of my locations plans to replace a pasture fence near the hives this summer. I have about a dozen hives there, the closest row being about 30 feet from the fence. He will be using tractors and other equipment so there will be some noise and banging around, and he is concerned about getting stung. I'd like to hear from people who have had experience closing their hives for the day -- what worked as far as keeping the bees cool enough to stay alive.

 

[mike haney]

i suspect your best bet would be to move them 2-3 days before (to get all the stragglers) unless you can borrow a shipping net (or the equivalent- i used to use a war surplus camo net). barring that, a sprinkler running on them would help. looks like your options are poor/bad. they just aint made to be confined in the heat.
good luck,mike

 

[honeybeekeeper]

Lately around here its been way to hot to just close up a hive, in your situation i would show the land owner respect and remove the hives until the fence is complete. Yes be prepaired for the fence work to take longer then specified. Just have patience and be conciderate! You always need a 2nd plan in these situations anyways! Good Luck!

 

[papamoose]

I had to do the same thing two weeks ago. I broke open the hive and put in popcicle sticks between each layer creating extra venting throughout the hive and put on a top feeder. Then I went by around 9:30pm and closed up the entrance, and had the farm call me when they finished for the day and opened it back up for a few hours.

The cloud of bees that erupted each day was pretty cool!

 

[Michael Bush]

I haven't kept up, but last I looked Brushy Mt. had some good equipment for such things. Screen doors (that now can double as robber screens) and screened inner covers etc. The main thing is to keep them from overheating. wet bed sheets over the hives helps cool them as well, and a supply of water is helpful.

 

[wildbranch2007]

voluntee to do the work for him, the bees and farmer would both appreciat it.