Moving colonies in winter

[Paddyg]

I have built a new apiary about 25m from the existing one. I understand the 3yd and 3 mile rule. Can I have you words of wisdom about moving when bees are not flying please.

 

[ericbeaumont]

when bees are not flying

Depends on your temperatures for a week or so prior to a move: are you in Mill Bank near Dublin, or Mill Bank, West Yorkshire, where it's wet and warm?

 

[Ian123]

It’s getting warm for the next week or so, you want a proper cold snap for a good week even seal up to be sure.

 

[oliver90owner]

3 yard rule? How to lose bees.

 

[Curly green finger's]

The weather isn't cold enough as other folk have said, I would wait for the next cold spell.

 

[The Poot]

The weather isn't cold enough as other folk have said, I would wait for the next cold spell.

That could be July at this rate!

 

[Curly green finger's]

That could be July at this rate!

Rain again here I've never known a December to be so mild, as soon as the jet stream changes there will be winter.
They say early new year, but who knows.

 

[Wilco]

Assuming you have OMF, duct tape across entrance one night. Ratchet strap it shut. Move. Remove tape a couple of days later.

 

[Erichalfbee]

That could be July at this rate!

14 degrees here at 9.30 am

 

[Murox]

Rain, wind and around 8 degrees right now. Forecast is good for tomorrow up here.

 

[Amari]

I have built a new apiary about 25m from the existing one. I understand the 3yd and 3 mile rule. Can I have you words of wisdom about moving when bees are not flying please.

I don't like rules, esp 3yd/3miles.

I have three apiaries = one out-apiary 3/4 mile and the other one mile from my main apiary. I move hives between the three and have never noticed bees returning to a now-vacant site.

It's been cold and wet here for a few weeks with little bee activity so I'm going to move a hive today within my main apiary - a few hours before the forecast warm spell arrives. My hope is that with very few bees recently flying the majority will not remember the original site. I wouldn't do that in mid summer of course.

A couple of years ago we were in Beechworth, Victoria, Aus. The local bee farm had info boards explaining their migratory beekeeping. A truck would take c. fifty hives, unload, and place them at the chosen spot. When the forage finished the truck would return and the hives would be reloaded in the afternoon. They would then wait until evening so that the flying bees returned to their now-on-the-truck hives. The truck would depart after nightfall. Difficult to believe!

 

[Swn58]

If you have to do it I suggest totally shutting them down for 24 hours. Then move them to their new location and leave then closed up for another 24 hours. When you then let them out, you will notice how a few tumble out, then fly around. After a few minutes you will notice that there will be dozens of bees hovering around the entrance, landing, going in, coming out then taking off again. They are re-orientating! They are using the sun and elements that we don't fully understand anymore, such as elevation/pressure, weather and maybe even earth polarity and flight highways that they can see, just like us with our maps, satnavs and smartwatches. Once we could tap in to the more natural elements as well though!

 

[Curly green finger's]

If you have to do it I suggest totally shutting them down for 24 hours. Then move them to their new location and leave then closed up for another 24 hours. When you then let them out, you will notice how a few tumble out, then fly around. After a few minutes you will notice that there will be dozens of bees hovering around the entrance, landing, going in, coming out then taking off again. They are re-orientating! They are using the sun and elements that we don't fully understand anymore, such as elevation/pressure, weather and maybe even earth polarity and flight highways that they can see, just like us with our maps, satnavs and smartwatches. Once we could tap in to the more natural elements as well though!

The reorientation aldepends how cold it is if they are well clustered you won't get none flying at all even after the time scale you say, almost to the point you could leave the entrance open which I know some even do when moving colonys in more favourable conditions.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

trouble is, people hear but do not listen, bees do a cursory orientation flight around the hive every day when they first go out, and it doesn't have to be seven days of continuous freezing cold weather to trigger them to reorientate.
There is also a big difference between the summer where there is loads of forage and a good chance that even after a short move they will still end up foraging the same spot which would trigger them to return to the original hive location, and the winter when, even if not clustered the only trips required are for water, or for a dump.
Even in the weather we're getting now bees aren't going to venture far and as they're not foraging hard will not necessarily return to the old spot out of habit.
Only a few weeks ago I needed to move a stand with two hives on out of the way of some building work, I moved them last thing in the evening - one was a full hive which I moved ten feet away to a vacant spot that needed filling on another stand. The other was a nuc destined for another apiary in the spring which I moved to a stand of nucs six feet away. The following morning, although there weren't many bees flying, there was a steady movement and it wasn't particularly cold (I was working without a coat and quickly worked up a sweat.) but I did not observe any bees arriving back at the vacated position (where I was working).
I even moved a whole apiary six hundred yards to the next field about the same time, there was quite a lot of activity around the hives at the new location when I opened them up (they had been jiggled about a bit during the move) but not a bee was observed back at the old site.
I often move bees further, but less than three miles, Even in the spring or early summer with no issues.

The three mile/feet 'rule' is a handy guide/yardstick but it is not a law set in stone but rather something to work around after applying other factors such as time of year (weather regardless) but weather can take a part, amount of forage, distance to forage and the topographical makeup of the terrain between old and new sites

 

[Swn58]

The reorientation aldepends how cold it is if they are well clustered you won't get none flying at all even after the time scale you say

I was talking about moving bees now.....with the more 'temporate' conditions we are experiencing. I have moved a couple of colonies this year, when it was colder. One I did not bother to close down until they were being moved. They were opened again as soon as they were re-positioned.

 

[elainemary]

Hi Paddy, I'm not far from you & my bees in the valley have been flying through December & collecting pollen not just cleansing flights, so I would say it's not been cold enough to move that short distance in one go, unless we get a good cold snap Jan or Feb.
I have moved bees much less than 3 miles (1 mile) with no problem even in the spring and summer, as long as topography is sufficiently different (hills / woods).

 

[madasafish]

I intend to move a couple of hives at least 5 meters. Wait for a cold spell, entrance blocked , move, leave 30 minutes remove block and cover entrance with cyprus leaves (forced reorientation). And leave.

Works well.

As for topgraphy, hills and big woods mean I have moved hives a mile in summer with no problems.