Do you move your hives?

[Poly Hive]

Migrate or not?

PH

 

[scuttlefish]

Nope - only two hives & more than enough local forage (plus no competing apiaries within a couple of miles).

 

[thurrock bees]

I move my girls to winter sown OSR and then back again, would move them to other crops if they were around.

 

[MartinL]

Nope - - - - - - - more than enough local forage.

Not even tempted by heather!

 

[scuttlefish]

Not even tempted by heather!

File under "local forage", I'm in the countryside & there's a good bit of heather about.

 

[johnandyrob]

I move my hives to the heather and so far haven't had to move them to the rape but would if their was non in foraging distance.

 

[Nellie]

I only move my hives if I have to. Once they're on an apiary, with luck, they won't move more than a few feet ever again.

 

[countryman]

on to blackberry sometimes and sept sown field bean as well only because of field rotaion takes them out of range so move them closer

 

[mbc]

Moving to and from osr and heather are annual events but I also like to keep my eyes open to other possibilities - I have moved bees to fields of clover ( white and red ), a huge swathe of willowherb on recently cleared woodland, field beans, himalayan balsom and I've even moved trailer loads of bees to a huge area of willow where the residents had unexpectedly packed themselves out with lovely early honey.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've been offered a few sites for this year (unfortunately not enough bees to take full advantag - yet!) and one hive will be moving about five miles away to a small orchard in the spring - I'm of a mind then to bring them home for the winter as it makes it easier to check on them

 

[peteinwilts]

with the poll... do we migrate them away, and then migrate them back again?

for the last two years, mine went off to Rape. The first year was extremely cold in May. Far too cold for inspections and on the first warm day they all swarmed.

last year was just too dry.

both years, my remaining bees faired better than the ones that went away.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Nowhere to migrate to. No OSR but there is heather on the fell within flying distance.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

I (and I suspect the missus) would regard migrating bees as signs of sliding down the slope from hobby to serious pastime. Luckily they have OSR nearby

 

[ebee]

Move my bees to OSR then if possible straight onto beens and later on to the heather. I started going to the heather simply to extend the season. If I could find perminant apiary sites, I think my back would prefer that just now.