Moving my apiary!!!!!! Help!!!!!!

[goodbobby]

I am in an absolute quandary and cant see a solution!!! ...I have to move my long established apiary which is situated surrounded by a bramble thicket on the edge of a golf course (my club).The golf club have always been ultra "eco" helpful and are now preparing an alternative apiary site about 50 feet away and are clearing trees and building a high bank in front, fencing it off safety wise, so as a site it would is a perfect solution.

HOWEVER the problem is moving the two colonies I have presently on the apiary. I have a theoretical knowledge of the 3 feet and 3 mile rule (although I have never had to move colonies ) but time is pressing..golf course contractors will be starting work building a new green nearby by the end of the month and I have no alternative site (3 mile rule) to relocate the hives to.Even if I did transporting the bees would be logistically impossible.

MY QUESTION IS: Can I somehow ignore, circumvent or overcome the "3 foot rule" as adhering to this would be an impossible nightmare and time is pressing.Incidentally, I am 73 years old and not the fittest guy around!!!!!!

 

[drex]

You obviously know the best way forward but have ruled that out.
You only have two hives to move and have until the end of the month. I would move them one at a time, so that after the first move you still have a hive at original location, which strays can return to. After moving the second hive leave an empty hive at original location to collect stragglers. Be fore moving close up the hive last thing at night. If you have Omf floor, loosely block the entrance with grass. At new site put the hive facing a different direction to original. You could put some twiggy leafy branches in front of hive. They say this helps them to reorient but I never bother. Grass wilts over a day or two slowly releasing the bees.
After the final move any bees in the empty box can be tipped back into their hive at the new site.
You will probably get lots of other suggestions too. Good luck. You might lose a few bees but the majority will be ok

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

As long as you're not in the middle of a heatwave, keep them closed in, but well ventilated for a few days, then try the magic twigs.

 

[beeno]

Hi, As above, but I would move both at the same time ASAP. In 2.5 weeks time most of the old foragers would be dead and not wizzing around looking for the original site when coming back from foraging. Leave empty boxes for a day at the old location for foragers to return to making them feel -Q and let them walk into old hives late afternoon and find their old Q. It is going to be hot, so I would not lock them in, but do the grass and twiggy bits. Ventilation screen that you can spray through would also be a good thing. You will hear if the bees are distressed! You will have some bees at the old site for some days, but hopefully they will find their way back to the new site or you may have to collect them from the old site and let them walk in for a few days if there is many of them.

 

[enrico]

Can you wait until winter.....you can move them where you like then
E

 

[goodbobby]

You obviously know the best way forward but have ruled that out.
You only have two hives to move and have until the end of the month. I would move them one at a time, so that after the first move you still have a hive at original location, which strays can return to. After moving the second hive leave an empty hive at original location to collect stragglers. Be fore moving close up the hive last thing at night. If you have Omf floor, loosely block the entrance with grass. At new site put the hive facing a different direction to original. You could put some twiggy leafy branches in front of hive. They say this helps them to reorient but I never bother. Grass wilts over a day or two slowly releasing the bees.
After the final move any bees in the empty box can be tipped back into their hive at the new site.
You will probably get lots of other suggestions too. Good luck. You might lose a few bees but the majority will be ok

Hi ,This might be a possible solution but if I am moving 3 feet at a time and with two hives I really don't have much time as I normally don't get to the site more than a couple of times a week! I think your idea of an empty hive to pick up stragglers has some merit.The twigs thing might also kid them a bit....They haven't finished clearing the new apiary site yet but I will have a better idea by next week.......

I am toying with idea of temporarily replacing the hive stands with paired garden "sleepers" lined up with the new destination so I can move the hives by sliding along say every other night without having to cause much disruption?

I am not sure why I would
need to re-orientate the hive entrances which all currently face south???
Thanks Bob

 

[Bear]

Try a farmer or some other land owner at least 3miles away As the crow flies! It’s the 3,3,3 rule. Even the likes of a caravan park, wind farm etc. There is no “magic solution”.

 

[beeno]

I am toying with idea of temporarily replacing the hive stands with paired garden "sleepers" lined up with the new destination so I can move the hives by sliding along say every other night without having to cause much disruption?

I am not sure why I would
need to re-orientate the hive entrances which all currently face south???
Thanks Bob

That is the best solution, but don't change the direction of the entrance.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I have a hive barrow that is flat when "at rest". I made it like that for just such a job. Put the hive you want to move on it and move 3' a day.... easy.

 

[drex]

My idea was to move them the 50 feet in one go, taking into account your reported fitness and lack of time. I suggested turning the hive at final destination to encourage re orientation. Your idea of sliding them a few feet every day or so would be my preferred option too. If moving them straight back or forward I will make each move 5-6 feet, 3 feet if sideways.

 

[Beekeeper Brownie]

I had to move 6 hives earlier in the year, back on April 5th 700m. I shut them up the night before. As recommended previously I placed some vegetation in front of the entrances to slow them down and to re orientate them as well turning them through 180 degrees from their old position. It worked well with no noticeable losses. Obviously this was in April when the colonies where still building up and not at their maximum numbers compared to now.

 

[Antipodes]

I'm not suggesting the answers so far are not good, but just going back to the suggestion of Jenkinsbrynmair ...wasn't there something on the forum about locking them in for a period of time to allow the sun to pass through it's apparent zenith or something? I can't find the thread now, but 36 hours comes to mind?

 

[goodbobby]

Moving my Apiary LATEST SITUATION

My idea was to move them the 50 feet in one go, taking into account your reported fitness and lack of time. I suggested turning the hive at final destination to encourage re orientation. Your idea of sliding them a few feet every day or so would be my preferred option too. If moving them straight back or forward I will make each move 5-6 feet, 3 feet if sideways.[/QUOT

Thanks everyone for your most helpful responses.....eventually I have started to assemble a "roadway "of level sleepers and have moved the two hives an initial 3 feet in the direction of the new apiary site.It should be fairly straight forward to repeat every two or three days.But is this too often?

The GOOD NEWS is the local authority have now sent an environmental guy to check on the eco effect of re-siting the golf green (plants and wildlife) and the club have agreed to plant a small orchard and wild flower meadow behind the new green and probably 70 yards away from the new apiary!

The EVEN BETTER NEWS is that the golf consultant forgot that the club will need archeological certification on the new green area before works can proceed, so the work to build a new green has been put on hold until September giving me plenty of time to re-site the apiary....3 feet at a time!!!

HOWEVER Can anyone recommend the best time of day and frequency to move the hives as I go along this route???? I have adorned both hives with magic twigs as suggested but am slightly concerned that moving too frequently may stress the bees?I've kept bees on this site for more than 12 years but have never had to move them!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Can anyone recommend the best time of day and frequency to move the hives as I go along this route????

Move the hives whatever time of day suits you, every two days is ample (When I was out in Lesotho, we moved a hive three feet at a time, once every morning and all was fine) It won't stress the bees out - no need for magic twigs either.

 

[ismail akyüz]

you can move the Hive using the dough method, only a few bees come back and find the hive when they can't find it, find it and enter its new location.

 

[Anduril]

you can move the Hive using the dough method, only a few bees come back and find the hive when they can't find it, find it and enter its new location.

Kneading some assistance with the dough method? Must be a Google translate problem.

 

[Wingy]

The way I would do it.
Just move the 2 hives to their new location.
At the old hive site place a couple of supers with frames in where each hive was situated, floor / entrance & roof can be makeshift if short of kit. When all flyers have returned lock them in and move to new site, spray with sugar water to prevent flying then put supers with flyers over newspaper at the top of their colony (as if doing a colony combine) by the time they chew through they should reorientate to their new location & your hives have a couple of extra supers on.
Meanwhile the new foragers will be out bringing in stores.