Combine question

[JonnyPicklechin]

I would like to combine 3 hives. One is outside my apiary about 20 feet away and not close to other hives...The others are. The new combined hive site will be in the apiary....the 3 hives are single BBs with about 6-8 frames of bees.

I plan to leave a NUC with a frame of brood on it to catch returning flyers and then seal them and take away for a week and then return them to the new site.

Or keep it simple andjust leave the returning flyers to find a new home?

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[Murox]

Kiss
Make sure they reorient, place a thick bush in a pot for example in front of the hive, or branches with leaves on the landing board, right in front of the entrance hole to make sure they notice, stop and think.

 

[Beefriendly]

They will orientate if you simply move the hive through 90 degrees. Or three feet or whatever....It's kinda irrelevant to their returning to the new site...Because it's when they return from a familiar patch of forage they will follow their "old" route home.
So no amount of reorientation to the their new site will help in that.
But if only one hive around to return to they will soon find it.

 

[Curly green fingers]

I've not had to many issues with foraging bee's going back to the old sites this season I think by the time they've chewed through news paper or whatever way you plan to do it, mixed with the other bee's they have been fine..
I've United 8 into 4 and had a handful of bee's going back to the old sites.
This was done at the same apiary and i didn't move any to an out apiary.
As murox said kiss .

 

[Murox]

They will orientate if you simply move the hive through 90 degrees. Or three feet or whatever....It's kinda irrelevant to their returning to the new site...Because it's when they return from a familiar patch of forage they will follow their "old" route home.
So no amount of reorientation to the their new site will help in that.
But if only one hive around to return to they will soon find it.

Yes they will follow old forage routes, when they leave the hive they just need to be made aware that things have changed.

 

[masterBK]

Not a big problem. Unite in the evening and you will have very few bees going back. I unite hives within the apiary and never have problems as the few strays find their way into the nearest hive (ie don't bother with all that 2 ft a day shuffling hives closer to each other). The one 20ft away : I would simply leave a super with crownboard to pick up the strays and come nightfall pick it up and put it on top of the combined hive.

 

[JonnyPicklechin]

Thanks all. As always.

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[Beefriendly]

Yes they will follow old forage routes, when they leave the hive they just need to be made aware that things have changed.

I think you may have misunderstood me... it's the old memorised routes on their return journey from a previously used patch of forage that take them back to the old site.
Turn a hive 90 degrees on the same site and the bees will start to re-orientate to the new vista in front of them.

 

[Murox]

I think you may have misunderstood me... it's the old memorised routes on their return journey from a previously used patch of forage that take them back to the old site.
Turn a hive 90 degrees on the same site and the bees will start to re-orientate to the new vista in front of them.

Yes indeed. Thank you.