Well, you think I would have this one right after making a moving mistake last year
. I decided to move two of four hives today. The weather was cool, 50 degrees and my lazy southern bees weren't flying yet. I chose the two lightest hives and moved them to a preferred sunnier location about 125 yards away. I put a branch in front of each hive for reorientation.
I returned to check later in the afternoon and bees were returning to the old location. I did not leave an empty at the old location because I felt the stragglers if any would go to the other two hives.
Well my bees weren't as lazy as I thought(and more foragers were out-I don't think so) or they did not reorient properly. I had quite a few bees at the old location. They were trying to enter the other hives and of course the residents there thought they were robbers or invaders since there is very little of a flow going now. I had a few hundred dead bees in front of the hives and bees clustered on the outside.
I put an empty nuc in the spot where the two hives were moved from, but they did not seem to be taking to it to well.
Hope they get things sorted out
. and of course the two losing the foragers were my weakest to top it off
I returned to check later in the afternoon and bees were returning to the old location. I did not leave an empty at the old location because I felt the stragglers if any would go to the other two hives.
Well my bees weren't as lazy as I thought(and more foragers were out-I don't think so) or they did not reorient properly. I had quite a few bees at the old location. They were trying to enter the other hives and of course the residents there thought they were robbers or invaders since there is very little of a flow going now. I had a few hundred dead bees in front of the hives and bees clustered on the outside.
I put an empty nuc in the spot where the two hives were moved from, but they did not seem to be taking to it to well.
Hope they get things sorted out
