[aristaeus]

I caught one of my hives that swarmed and put it in two mediums and left it there for 2 weeks. I then went to move it into the bee yard with the other hives (about a @100 feet move).

I closed up the hive in question Saturday evening and moved it to the bee yard. I left it with a screen top and screen over the entrance, closing them in for 36 hours. Monday (this) morning I removed the screens and placed some branch/foliage near to the entrance to create a new obstacle for them.

I left them alone for @two hours and when I went to check on them they seem pretty active but more to the point there are @100+ bees flying in circles in the old location.

Should I simply accept that some will return to the old location and forget them and hope they find the new location or maybe place a box there for them to go into and then move them back to the relocated hive?

More to the point, is there something I did wrong that is causing some of them to drift back to the old location?? Is this just something that happens?

Thanks,

 

[thehackleguy]

Should I simply accept that some will return to the old location and forget them and hope they find the new location or maybe place a box there for them to go into and then move them back to the relocated hive?

More to the point, is there something I did wrong that is causing some of them to drift back to the old location?? Is this just something that happens?

Yes, and no you didn't do anything wrong....except maybe moving them to the current location as soon as you hived the swarm, then you may have avoided the "lost" bees.

 

[aristaeus]

Yes, and no you didn't do anything wrong....except maybe moving them to the current location as soon as you hived the swarm, then you may have avoided the "lost" bees.

Thanks, yes unfortunately they swarmed on an afternoon we were leaving town...typical. I had only a very short time in which to be able to get them boxed up and we had to leave. In a perfect world I would have immediately then moved them. I do realize this is part of why they became imprinted on the location where they swarmed.

So it sounds like the foragers that returned to the old location are as you say, lost bees??

Thanks again,

 

[thehackleguy]

I've heard from very experienced beekeepers that they will find a hive to go into, but I have not experienced that myself. Usually, within a day or two, they are gone but I'm not sure if they found a new hive or if they expired somehow.

 

[aristaeus]

I've heard from very experienced beekeepers that they will find a hive to go into, but I have not experienced that myself. Usually, within a day or two, they are gone but I'm not sure if they found a new hive or if they expired somehow.

Thanks. I will suck it up and move on. At least the hive is correctly situated now.

 

[Michael Bush]

The lost bees will spiral out until they find a home. If they are still looking lost at about dark, I would put a box there to gather them and after dark move them to the new location. Foragers will fly back to the old location until they die, but once they have found the new home they will just return to the old location and make a turn and go to the new location.

 

[aristaeus]

The lost bees will spiral out until they find a home. If they are still looking lost at about dark, I would put a box there to gather them and after dark move them to the new location. Foragers will fly back to the old location until they die, but once they have found the new home they will just return to the old location and make a turn and go to the new location.

Many thanks Michael, your input is much appreciated. I will go an inspection approaching dusk and place a box if needed.

Paul