best way to move this hive?

[biglongdarren]

i am wanting to move the middle hive in this photo about 6-8feet so that its sitting in the middle of the other two hives...whats the best way to go about this??
Darren.

 

[AMAE]

2x moves of 3foot with sufficient interval to allow re-orientation..

 

[Tom Bick]

About 2’ to the left every week

 

[oliver90owner]

Slowly. In small increments. Unlimited time-scale?

RAB

 

[oliver90owner]

2x moves of 3foot with sufficient interval to allow re-orientation..

No. The first move may well result in bees finding the wrong hive

About 2’ to the left every week

I would have said to the 'right'. I would lift from behind!

RAB

 

[biglongdarren]

the reason i am moving is so that i have room when the time comes to do an artifical swarm,i am planning on doing the artifical swarm the way ted hooper explains in his book,finding queen,putting her in new hive, putting old hive to one side then after a week moving it till the other..that method.
Am i doing right??

 

[Bad Boy Bee]

Move it to the osr for a couple of weeks and bring it back to your new position upon return.

 

[biglongdarren]

the nearest OSR to me is about 30 miles away and as this is my first winter and i only have three hives and no extractor yet its hardly worth me moving one hive to OSR,is it?
Darren.

 

[tonybloke]

30 - 80 lb of honey not worth it?

 

[yantabulla]

Darren, when I move hives I place a long board preferably painted white at the front of the hive that I want to move. (Picture a white runway in front of the hive). Put it there a couple of days before you move them. They will become accustomed to it & will recognise their hive as the one with the runway.

I have moved hives up to three metres a day with this method. You won't have any problems moving them that short distance.

 

[MJBee]

Top tip thanks for that Yantabulla

 

[nelletap]

I am tempted to move my hive just to test this excellent idea.
tricia

 

[Rosti]

Apis ATC, I like it Yantabulla!

 

[yantabulla]

Here's a link of hive set up to move. Hope it works

http://img541.imageshack.us/i/dscf5098s.jpg/

 

[richardbees]

Get a couple of sheilas in bikinis and a few cases of Fosters......

Back to the problem, I'd suggest moving it 2ft at night and very loosely filling the entrance with some dry grass, repeat after a few days until it's where you want it.

This really does work = negotiating the obstacle makes them recalibrate their memory of the immediate exit point from the hive

 

[yantabulla]

Here's another photo from another angle.

The square right in front of the hive is a cement paver to keep the grass away from the entrance. They sit on them when they are on the ground so I move them with the paver in front so the hive looks the same.

I can't claim it as my idea. Mastering the Art of Beekeeping by Ormond & Harry Aebi Volume 1 p 84 describes the method. It is important to put the board there a few days before you move them & leave it there for a few days when they get to their final destination

I wouldn't worry about a few bees going to the wrong hive. There will be a bit of confusion when you move them. You will see them adjust & fly to the hive. I try to do it early in the morning or just before dark when most of the foragers are home. Use a bit of smoke.

It works best (ie you can move them up to 3 metres) when moving them in a straight line. Move them a shorter distance when turning the hive around.

http://img23.imageshack.us/i/dscf5100r.jpg/

 

[oliver90owner]

moving it 2ft at night and very loosely filling the entrance with some dry grass, repeat after a few days

If it is warm and the bees are flying strongly move them every day.

Come on now, only a couple of metres or so at most.

RAB

 

[biglongdarren]

anybody that lives in a town with a massive banana has to be takin seriously...i'll try this out and let you know how i get on yantabulla.
Darren.

 

[yantabulla]

Oliver that's why you put the long plank out front. The bees can pick the hive out from everything else around hence the longer distance. There will always be a bit of confusion but the bees will find a home where there are other hives around. Darren's hives are distinct from each other the bee's won't get mixed up.

Moving hives is a real pain. The quicker & easier you can do it the better. Just pick them up & move them Dazza!

Both methods work. I would go for a shorter distance if you are concerned.

Richard, the girls in bikinis are probably British backpackers & I would kill for a well cellared, hand pulled pint of real ale

 

[oliver90owner]

yantabulla,

I think you may have misread my post. I perfectly understood your reasoning immediately, thanks. I was not commenting on your method, which must be an assist to getting the job done. It was the idea of multiple moves and umpteen days to do it with grass stuffed in the entrance. The first move may have been the worst, if doing it in a couple or three, because the two colonies appear to be very adjacent.

Shift the one by much more than a hive width and the bees would be very likely to 'find' the other hive (much more activity). That may, or may not, have been a problem. But if 50% or more of the foragers found that 'wrong hive' and were accepted by that hive there could be a bit of a problem with the depleted one at this time of the year.

My original comment was for that reason alone.

Regards, RAB