Moving House and bees in winter help please

[Ivor Kemp]

A bit of a conundrum I need help with please.

My family and I are moving house sometime after Christmas.

It is only about a mile away.

We have three bee hives.

Given that the bees will probably not be coming out of the hive much in this period:

1. Is it safe to move the hives straight to the new garden and when they re-emerge in Spring will have 'forgotten' about their old territory.

2. Move them to my parent's house which is 8 miles away and then re-locate them in the spring.

3. Not do anything until spring and try and persuade the new owners to accept three sedentary bee hives until then.

4. Something else.

Many thanks.

 

[susbees]

1. Pick a cold day, jolt them as little as possible and leave foamed up for a couple of days if they get disturbed a little too much?

If 3. you'd best do 2. first.

 

[Heather]

You can move bees in winter to nearby if weather v cold. As long as they are tucked up for the next week or so.
But I have moved some in Sept less than 2 miles and they didnt return...and they were v active. Where they went to was good forage.

 

[BeeNice]

Hi, I moved bees only 1km during last winter, as said, wait for a good spell of cold weather, if it arrives! and the bees are nice and clustered. Also block entrance with grass or something the bees have to move to get out.
Steven

 

[victor meldrew]

I moved a hive 200 yards no probs cold weather had set in ,me and her carried the hive to it's new location . pulled the foam strip out . Bees didn't know they hd been moved .
VM

 

[itma]

1. Pick a cold day, jolt them as little as possible and leave foamed up for a couple of days if they get disturbed a little too much?

Just remember that's a bit of sponge as a temporary entrance block, not gap-filling aerosol ... (still wincing at that story).

With an open mesh floor, and maintaining ventilation space underneath it (I used a slatted IKEA shelf, rather like a duckboard), you should be fine using an ordinary entrance block to shut them in. Good to tape it in place though!
And leave it shut until you are sure they've completely settled down again.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

also lean a crown board over the entrance or cover with some branches so they'll re-orientate when the y come out

 

[Ivor Kemp]

Fantastic!

Many thanks for all this everyone.