moving hives

drewgrim · Post by **drewgrim** » Sun Aug 16, 2009 8:31 pm

when is the best time to move your hives. i have a friend with some land that is going to let me keep some of my hives on it. should i wait until fall, winter, or spring? or is any time good?

Post by **Wally** » Sun Aug 16, 2009 9:21 pm

A warm night when it is cool enough that they aren't bearding. A small beard can be smoked in.

John Sabat · Post by **John Sabat** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:50 am

I have found that a mist bottle containing cool water also works great to persuade the workers to go inside.

mike91553 · Post by **mike91553** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 12:04 pm

Whenever is best for you as for now, fall, or winter.
If you need to feed them to prepare for winter they are easier to lift and move now however they may be easier to feed at your house than having to drive back and forth to another location. Another thought is you may avoid some robbing while feeding if you put the weak hives at one location and the strong at another.

As for time of day I like closing up the hive (with ventilation) at night and moving the next morning in daylight.

SmithN · Post by **SmithN** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 12:29 pm

I successfully relocated a hive this week.

I have heard that a successful move is an uneventful move!
A friend helping with the hive relocation commented "it's all in the preparation". This is true!

Whenever transporting hives, keep the hive (frames) parallel to the road
to prevent frames from swinging and possibly crushing bees.

You might want to check out these links before you make the move.

http://maarec.psu.edu/pdfs/Moving_Bees.pdf

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesmoving.htm

Norma