How to get bees in the hive so I can move the hive...

Better use some water spray. Let it rain. The'll walk in right away. Smoke does disturb them too much.

Yes smoke helps. I also have a moving net which is a nylon bag that I put over the hive after strapping it together. I cover most of the hive during the day then at night I cover the entrance after a puff of smoke. I also use screening or a block of wood to close up the entrance. The few bees still on the outside of the hive will be inside the bag.

ahead of time prop up the top. the extra ventilation will encourage them to go inside at night. pick a cool or rainy evening, close them up as others suggest. the bees are not as aggressive just before dark so it is the best time to close up. the moving net is a good idea. the few bees you do not get will drift to the other hive.

Misting them with water seemed to help on the swarms that I caught that wouldn't work their way back into the hive completely. I did make the mistake of doing it with lightly sugared water once... this pretty much had the opposite effect.

Plain water got the stragglers moving in pretty well, though.

gman1001 said:

Problem, since its so hot, the bees hang out on the porch at night. Any quick tips on getting them into the hive prior to blocking the entrance?

Maybe a shot of smoke?

Click to expand...

A few weeks ago my friend's apiary was hit by a bear. Two of his three hives were a total loss. The third hive had been pushed, but not knocked over. We decided to move his remaining hive to my yard.

When I went to move them, a lot of bees were hanging out. They were in a foul mood. Literally hanging out waiting for a fight. After a few failed attempts to get them in the hive, I just picked the hive up and loaded it in the truck. Once loaded, they calmed down. Very few, if any, bees were lost.

We did not have much of a choice. YMMV.

Shane

Misting with a hose works .

did that yesterday morning at dawn coolest time of the day still a lot of bees hanging outside few puffs of smoke got most of them in then i wedged a piece of #8 wire in the entrance. left only a few bees behind.

If you're moving them after dark, you shouldn't need to block the entrance....assuming that you're using a pickup truck or open trailer. Strap the hive so that it doesn't come apart, a bit of smoke, load them, scotch them so they don't slide around during the trip and transport. On the other end, smoke them and move them to their new spot.
Beekeepers, myself included, have been doing it this way forever.

But suite up well because mine do not like being messed with in the dark.