Does the "Move fewer th 3 feet" rule apply vertically?

[The Riviera Kid]

Does the "move fewer than 3 feet" rule apply vertically? I have to move a nuc downwards.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yup - had to move a bait hive down from a ten foot high 'tree stump' a few years ago - an hour later had a great big clump of foragers sat on the stump wondering where the hive had gone!

 

[The Riviera Kid]

Ordinarily I wouldn't have thought anything of moving them but I shifted the hive a foot the other day and the bees were baffled. They were buzzing all around where the nuc was, lying in the cold and rain...

Got to move them off the old water tank they're on as it's about to collapse.

 

[oliver90owner]

I always think about when to do it and how. Early on a warm day. Never on a cold wet one.

Your situation? A smaller tank to stand the hive on? A tall stand? A shorter stand and several boxes before the hive floor?

 

[Cie]

I was taught that no matter when or how far you move a hive if you obscure the entrance with twigs, brush, branches or anything that'll make the bees re-orientate then they'll be fine.

It's always worked for me.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I was taught that no matter when or how far you move a hive if you obscure the entrance with twigs, brush, branches or anything that'll make the bees re-orientate then they'll be fine.

It's always worked for me.

Hmm - always eh?

I think you have just been very lucky

 

[oliver90owner]

I think you have just been very lucky

And never moved a hive at about midday, on a very hot day, with a strong flow on, with most of the foragers already away from the hive.

 

[Ely]

I was taught that no matter when or how far you move a hive if you obscure the entrance with twigs, brush, branches or anything that'll make the bees re-orientate then they'll be fine.

It's always worked for me.


If that method is going to work at all, the bees need to be blocked in the night before (or very very early morning) before the hive is moved. It can't be done if the foragers are already active and away from the hive. How would they know to reorientate? They would return to the original spot

 

[norfolknchance]

Bee Keepers

Yup - had to move a bait hive down from a ten foot high 'tree stump' a few years ago - an hour later had a great big clump of foragers sat on the stump wondering where the hive had gone!

Bad Bee Keepers will all ways compliment each other.. Oscar Wilde

 

[MartinL]

I was taught that no matter when or how far you move a hive if you obscure the entrance with twigs, brush, branches or anything that'll make the bees re-orientate then they'll be fine.

It's always worked for me.

I think we've been here before, never mind eh!

 

[BeeJayBee]

I was taught that no matter when or how far you move a hive if you obscure the entrance with twigs, brush, branches or anything that'll make the bees re-orientate then they'll be fine.

It's always worked for me.

You're lucky.

Hasn't ever worked for me, each time I've ended up with confused bees huddled together on the grass.

Ordinarily I wouldn't have thought anything of moving them but I shifted the hive a foot the other day and the bees were baffled. They were buzzing all around where the nuc was, lying in the cold and rain...

Got to move them off the old water tank they're on as it's about to collapse.

If you move them in stages less than the depth of the box each time, so they can land on the roof and walk down to the entrance, it might work.

Same thing can go wrong if you move the hive forwards by more than the length of the brood box - they can't find the entrance. But they often can find their way home if you move the hive back from the original position.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

if you move the hive forwards by more than the length of the brood box - they can't find the entrance. But they often can find their way home if you move the hive back from the original position.

When you move it back, they just hover, confused for a second or two then fly on - I think they must think they've put the brakes on a bit to soon and undershot the runway!

Moved a hive that way out in Lesotho - took six steps to do it and each day there was an hour of confused hovering before they just flew on a little further.

 

[oliver90owner]

Here is a post by Yantabulla from July 26, 2011 re moving colonies backwards or forwards (as well as a more usual move).

I've just moved a hive from the deck at the side of my house to a sunnier spot on my property by transporting it to another site for a month.

Upon their return there were a few bees checking out the old site for a few days so the survivors still have a memory of it.

Some good tips in previous posts around moving hives backwards or forwards rather than sideways. I always use a long board (2 -3 metres & painted white) situated at the hive entrance so that the bees don't have to think too hard about which hive is home.

Imagine a big white runway!

 

[Cie]

I think you have just been very lucky

Or maybe I don't do stupid things like move a hive during the day. Clearly that's always going to be a failure.

Move the hive at the end of the day, obscure the entrance for the next few days and they'll re-orientate. Works for me, my mentor and pretty much every one I know that's done it.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Well, that's conclusive then.

Done it, doesn't really work - it's all luck. period

 

[Cie]

Well, that's conclusive then.

Done it, doesn't really work - it's all luck. period

LOL

You mean that it doesn't/hasn't worked for you.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

LOL

You mean that it doesn't/hasn't worked for you.

I haven't really been foolish enough to try it as the only safeguard
But if it hadn't worked for me, that would be proof that it doesn't work all the time

 

[The Riviera Kid]

I always think about when to do it and how. Early on a warm day. Never on a cold wet one.

Your situation? A smaller tank to stand the hive on? A tall stand? A shorter stand and several boxes before the hive floor?

It’s a nuc I have had to move (see my original post). Unfortunately circumstances dictated that I had to move the hive when I did. The situation is less than ideal for many reasons.

I think you have just been very lucky

And never moved a hive at about midday, on a very hot day, with a strong flow on, with most of the foragers already away from the hive.

If I have to move bees I always move the hive at night, so the bees wake up in their slightly relocated spot.

In the recent poor weather, when none of my bees were flying, I closed up the hive for two full days, obscured the entrance with wood and it rained for another day after that but the foragers returned back to their original spot on the next flying day. This technique seems to be a bit hit and miss!!!

In the end in the dark of the night, I moved the hive down with the entrance three feet (exactly) below its original spot onto some pallets stacked beneath. The orientation was the same (south) and the entrance was obviously a single nuc length in front of where it was before. The bees were still baffled and hovered above the nuc, crawling on the old tank etc. all day. Around tea time, I stuck another pallet under it to raise it 7 inches and within about 30 mins the majority had found the entrance again. I have been lowering the nuc a foot or so a night and it’s now on a pallet at its final height. There is a whole pile of large landmarks for the bees and the nuc is away from all my other hives but I was intrigued by the big white plank idea!

I shall add that to my note book for 2015!

Cheers for suggestions all.

 

[Ross]

I was taught that no matter when or how far you move a hive if you obscure the entrance with twigs, brush, branches or anything that'll make the bees re-orientate then they'll be fine.

It's always worked for me.

This has worked for me in the past but not brilliantly when moving the bees about 100yds, there were a handful of lost bees at the old site at the end of the next day. I put a small cardboard box at the old site, the bees went in at night and I emptied them out into the hive later on. It took a couple of days of rounding up the stragglers for them all to finally get the message that they were somewhere new.

It has also worked for me moving a small hive around a mile without the lost stragglers issue.

Not sure it would work if only moving 10 feet or so as the bees wouldn't really re-orient themselves, but I haven't tried it personally.

I think as with most things in beekeeping certain techniques fit certain situations, there isn't a one size fits all solution.

Ross