Hive spacing

[ncsba]

I have found that my hives are to close together to work comfortably, when should i move them and how far can i move them in one move.

[Jacobs]

Either move them several miles in 1 move or about 3 feet at a time for short moves within a bee yard. If I am moving a hive from one location to one several miles away, I like to put on a moving screen just after dark. Light smoking may help to coax the bees into the hive before you close it up. That way you have the foragers and house bees. I will move them after dark or just about day light so that they are not cooped up during the heat of the day. If I am moving them 15 or 20 feet in the same yard, I don't bother shutting them in. I move them in early morning about 3 feet at a time. This lets the foragers figure out where they need to go if they did not pay attention to the move when they left the hive. I may do more than one 3 foot move in a day if there is plenty of daylight left and the weather is good for flying.