Bee line ????

[Black Comb]

Ok I've got off my lazy chair and looked this up in Hooper.

Active season 3 miles etc etc.

Winter moves - after a week of frost when no flying has occurred colonies may be shifted about in the same apiary without much fear of getting lost when their flying begins.

 

[drstitson]

Ent alert!

"After all, in the wild, their homes in trees are subject to shifting"

Surely only in Fangorn forest!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BKF Admin]

Winter moves - after a week of frost when no flying has occurred colonies may be shifted about in the same apiary without much fear of getting lost when their flying begins.

Its also a good idea to pop something in front of a moved hive so they know something has changed when they come out.

 

[Poly Hive]

I agree Admin.

The odd forest fire might mean moving a bit sharpish.

PH

 

[TBRNoTB]

PM's

Winmag and Silly Bee,

Question: Would these personal chit-chats not be better by PMs rather than the forum?

It would not disrupt the thread flow.

RAB

This must be a first for me
TBRNoTB

 

[wightbees]

So when they swarm and they don't go 3 miles away how come they don't end up back at there hive> they know they have swarmed ,so is there a way of this being done to break the 3 mile rule in flying season other than letting all the flying bees return to there hive in A/S
Hope that makes sense .

 

[Silly Bee]

Because they left home to set up another. So wherever they land, Thats "Home"

 

[Silly Bee]

Had a bit of trouble understanding that.

Artifical swarming might be another way.

 

[Hivemaker.]

HM - not doubting the wisdom, simply enquiring - would it not be risky moving them while they in cluster?

Obviously this depends on exactly how cold it is,and the distance they are being moved....picking up a hive and carrying it gently 30' or so across your garden is not likely to do any harm at all....,load them in a vehicle and move them a few miles gently and not much problem,now if you were to sling them into the back of a truck and take them for a ride of several miles over the roughest terrrain you can find.....in freezing cold weather....it may not be so clever....so really just need to use some common sense.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Obviously this depends on exactly how cold it is,and the distance they are being moved....picking up a hive and carrying it gently 30' or so across your garden is not likely to do any harm at all....,load them in a vehicle and move them a few miles gently and not much problem,now if you were to sling them into the back of a truck and take them for a ride of several miles over the roughest terrrain you can find.....in freezing cold weather....it may not be so clever....so really just need to use some common sense.

Another misconception cleared up, thanks

 

[RoofTops]

Artifical swarming might be another way.

No, when you do an artifical swarm you leave the flying bees on the old site. If you moved them to one side they would simply fly back to where the hive used to be. It is only a natural swarm that loses its memory.

Reading some of the posts above I am not sure eveyone understands why the 3 feet or 3 mile rule is followed. It is not a hard and fast rule and there are exceptions. As already covered, in the depths of winter you can get away with bending the rules a bit and even in summer if you move a hive backwards you can move it further then 3 feet. This is because the bees will still try and return to where the hive was but they will be flying towards the entrance so when they find the hive not there they simply overshoot and discover the hive again. However, the other issue is if you move it outside of winter say only a mile there is a great danger the foraging bees will start foraging on the same flowers they were foraging on before they were moved. Unfortunately, their inbuilt navigation systems then kick in and take them back to where they used to be. There are reports of bees being moved more than 5 miles and still they returned to where the hive was because unknown to the beekeeper in between the old and new hive positions there was a field of OSR which the bees quickly found after the move. The bees can also come across their old flightlines and recognising where they are follow the old flightline back to the previous hive position.

In winter the bees are unlikely to be foraging so as long as they can be tricked into thinking they have moved so they re-orientate themselves when they leave the hive things should be fine.

 

[For want of a better word]

Therefore 5 miles away would be a safe distance
3 miles in summer could find them back to the old stance..................
and short moves must not be more than 3 feet at atime!

 

[Poly Hive]

Too add to this as there is obviously some misunderstandings going on.

When a swarm, a natural swarm, emerges, it experiences what I like to call "mind wipe", by that I mean it loses the homing instinct completely, and you can pop it into a hive next to where it came from and it is quite happy.

An artificial swarm does not experience the same phenomenon and has to be treated under the three mile three feet "rule".

As said, this "rule" is a guide. I don't think this has already been explained so FWIW here you are.

Bees fly to forage some considerable distances, and it can be under normal circumstances that they will fly some 1.5 miles+. However in the UK to be honest I would think they are foraging rather less far. However to be SURE that (normally) they are safe to move it is advised to move them MORE than three miles.

Why? Because if moved say two miles, and they were foraging to 1.5 miles, there is a serious risk they will find the forage they were working previously, and forgetting they have been moved will find the previous flight line and off to the old home they go.

Personally I can say that having worked to this "rule" all my beekeeping days it has served me well.

PH

 

[Black Comb]

I think other factors also come into play.
I moved a hive 1.5 miles this summer and had no problems.
Between the 2 sites is a hill and in both cases the main forage was in the opposite direction to the hill.

 

[RoseCottage]

I would have to say that each situation needs individual assessment-
Where is the likely forage in the new position, what natural barriers like woodland are between the sites, what time if year, what moment In the colonies lifestyle, etc.

I moved 2 hives a. mile earlier in the summer with no problems and I know of an experienced old hand whose kept bees for over 60 years who moves hives around his large garden without issues too.
I'm not sure whether anyone has explained human distances to the bees...I suspect they are more subtle than us,

Sam

 

[oliver90owner]

Everyone,

The three foot-3 mile rule is merely a 'rule of thumb'. The usual safe distance. That is all. Sorted out by beeks of not just yesteryear, but before that.

Regards, RAB

 

[Hivemaker.]

Sorted out by beeks of not just yesteryear, but before that.

Aye but they only had skeps, small black bee's with short wings,bad eyesight,....and needing a walking stick.....plus no OSR.

 

[mbc]

"When a swarm, a natural swarm, emerges, it experiences what I like to call "mind wipe", by that I mean it loses the homing instinct completely, and you can pop it into a hive next to where it came from and it is quite happy. "

I find swarms are much more likely to 'stick' if moved a few miles before re-hiving

 

[BKF Admin]

I find swarms are much more likely to 'stick' if moved a few miles before re-hiving

It gets boring re-hiving a swarm in the same apiary only to have them out again 24 hours later,yet a move away for a couple of weeks tend's to settle them better.