I have had to move my hives (neighbour complaints), further down the garden. I know 3ft/3miles rule, but had to do it. Moved a 2 hives last Friday and 2 on Tuesday this week. I was expecting to lose my flying bees. Today, I have a swarm, on the original site. I appreciate flying bees go back to the same spot, but would a colony swarm back?
1/ "3ft or 3 miles" is a rule of thumb to explain bee behaviour to those that don't understand bee behaviour.
It isn't something that can be disregarded simply because the neighbour was annoyed.
It is teaching to prevent exactly this from happening.
2/ You "expected to lose" flying bees. But where did you expect them to go when they were lost?
3/ Do you now appreciate that more than half the (emerged) bees in the colony are "flying bees"?
The flying bees from FOUR colonies will add up to quite a decent number of bees …
4/ To move a hive a short distance (up to tens of yards), you either have to take the bees to your "Plan B" site for a month or so before coming back to the other end of the garden, or else move them a short distance (a yard or so - see below) every day or two.
You can move them 6 feet or so in a single step IF (and only if) the movement is directly backwards (away from the entrance) and the repositioned hive is in plain view from the old entrance position.
You should have moved them in small steps!
5/ Moving the hive "further down the garden" (on its own) is unlikely to reduce nuisance. Other measures may well be necessary.
Erecting a tall trellis will cause the bees to fly up and over it - once they are above the neighbours head-height they should be much less nuisance.
Bees don't like flying through trellis holes, so even without anything growing up the trellis, it can be as effective as a (much more expensive and potentially unsightly) fence.
