Migratory beekeeping

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Curly green finger's

If you think you know all, you actually know nowt!
***
BeeKeeping Supporter
Joined
Jul 30, 2019
Messages
6,473
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Location
Titterstone clee South Shropshire
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
86 + nucs/ mini nucs
Hi and afternoon this season I'm moving colonys around more than I've ever done before, I was wondering if there is a rule of thumb eg don't move bees from osr to clover or borage, vetch then heather
What I'm trying to ask is will colonys perform better/worse being moved from one crop to the next, also wondering about rest time.
Thoughts from BFs that migrate or hobbests pls.
@Hedgerow Honey I know you have said to me John about bee performance going from one crop to the other, I just wanted to get something down on paper.
Thanks
Mark
 
Hi and afternoon this season I'm moving colonys around more than I've ever done before, I was wondering if there is a rule of thumb eg don't move bees from osr to clover or borage, vetch then heather
What I'm trying to ask is will colonys perform better/worse being moved from one crop to the next, also wondering about rest time.
Thoughts from BFs that migrate or hobbests pls.
@Hedgerow Honey I know you have said to me John about bee performance going from one crop to the other, I just wanted to get something down on paper.
Thanks
Mark
Australia is the home of migratory beekeeping. I read the other day that one commercial beekeeper in Queensland moves hives up to eight times in the year and some moves are a thousand kilometres one way. Constant chasing of forage or moving for pollination and occasionally out of the way of a fire or flood. The most I moved some of mine this season was four times. From what I've seen here, the ones that are moved to decent forage do better than the ones left behind. Are you thinking canola (OSR) and heather?
 
I move bees all season
overwinterd places to OSR
OSR to clover and what ever else they find
OSR to beans they did not give much last year and i was going to shift them and they filled a super in 4 days i then sused they had found lime trees wow it was good honey and 4 supers per hive
about the 20 july they all go to the heather
i will never have enough bees for the heather 3 estates i work 1/36000 acres 2/ 28000 acres 3 / 12000 acres all ling heather
then all to overwinter apiaries treated and fed
 
Migratory beekeeping depends on pastutes, how goof they are and are there allready other bees.
 

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