# How do I move a hive?????????



## Jubilee (Mar 12, 2009)

I need to move my hive to a sunnier location to the west about 200ft. But as you all probably know you cant just pickup a hive and move it becaus thebees are oriented to the exact spot and won't be able to find the hive. I'vread that if you move the hive eight inches a day in the desired direction you will eventualy be able to move to the new location. but with 200ft to go that will take me around ten months to move my hive. Is there afaster way???


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## justgojumpit (May 5, 2003)

You can move the hive two miles or more away to a friend's house, and then move them back to the new location a week later. Or, you could move them the 200 feet, put a leafy branch across their entrance to obstruct their flight just enough that they make new orientation flights. In this case, there may be some bees that still go back to the old location. Put an empty box there, and shake the bees that cluster there back into the hive every night until there are no longer a significant number of bees at the old location.

justgojumpit


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

>>>>you all probably know you cant just pickup a hive and move it because the bees are oriented to the exact spot and won't be able to find the hive.<<<<

I've heard that myth all the 30 plus years I have kept bees. No, I do NOT know it to be the truth. Move your bees at dusk or after dark. The first night you will have a ball of bees at the old location. The second night, you will have a handful. The third or fourth night, all of them will have oriented to the new location. If you want to speed it up, scrape them into a box each night and dump them onto the bottom board of the hive and let them walk in.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I have also heard the move inches or miles myth. I fully believe it is just that a myth.
Go out in the evening when the bees are finished flying for the day and close them up. Move them to the new location then also. Leave them closed up till the next morning when they are settled down from the joshling. Grab a good hand full of grass, open the hive entrance and quickly stuff the grass in the entrance before to many bees get out ( a partner helps since we don't have 4 hands.).
It is my experince to not even see a small tea cup full of bees return to the old location.

 Al


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## Bouncenhumble (Jan 12, 2004)

Jubilee said:


> I need to move my hive to a sunnier location to the west about 200ft. But as you all probably know you cant just pickup a hive and move it becaus thebees are oriented to the exact spot and won't be able to find the hive. I'vread that if you move the hive eight inches a day in the desired direction you will eventualy be able to move to the new location. but with 200ft to go that will take me around ten months to move my hive. Is there afaster way???


As for me I will use the 2 inches, 2 miles rule. I have tried it a few other ways and have lost the hive every time. This spring I moved one. The temp was still freezing, but when it warmed up... yep they were still just as gone. But then I am also not a "This is the ONLY way to do it" bee keeper. This is just "A" way to do it, and would not recommend any other way.


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

Moving a hive when it is cold enough to be clustered is as good a way as I know to lose it. That doesn't equate to moving one in warm weather, tho.
Even if the myth were true, it would only lose the foragers, not the whole colony.


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## thequeensblessing (Mar 30, 2003)

Iddee said:


> Moving a hive when it is cold enough to be clustered is as good a way as I know to lose it.


How so? We've taken down bee trees with snow still on the ground, rehomed them into a hive body, and not lost them. 


Iddee said:


> Even if the myth were true, it would only lose the foragers, not the whole colony.


True, but depending upon the strength of the hive, losing the foragers can result in a very weakened hive, which can indeed mean the possibility of losing the whole colony. It wouldn't be such an issue with a strong hive, but in a weakend one, or ones we are most likely to attempt to move to a better location, it can mean a total loss.


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

>>>>We've taken down bee trees with snow still on the ground, rehomed them into a hive body, and not lost them. <<<<

Miracles do happen. You were very lucky.

As for the foragers, I said IF it were true, but it isn't. When a hive is moved, the stragglers will take up with the nearest hive they can find. If theirs is the nearest one, they will go home.


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## Bouncenhumble (Jan 12, 2004)

Iddee said:


> Moving a hive when it is cold enough to be clustered is as good a way as I know to lose it. That doesn't equate to moving one in warm weather, tho.
> Even if the myth were true, it would only lose the foragers, not the whole colony.


If it were really just a "myth".... how would any one take thousands of hives from Florida to California and not loose them all. The fact is there are too many extenuating circumstances to move them a short distance. "A hand full of grass in the entrance"? Is that my handful? or my wife's? Branch too big, or too small? 
Miracles do happen. You were very lucky. 

I couldn't agree more. For me they have happened time after time after time.

If it works well enough for people to move them in mass across the country, it is good enough for me.
I have personally moved 20 or so hives, from one yard to another, and have never had a problem, as long as there was over 2 miles between the two.


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

2 feet, 2 miles, 2 yards, 2 thousand miles. That's what I'm saying. Move them as far as you want. It doesn't matter. They will be fine. You can even move them from the snowbanks of Wisconsin to sunny Florida, as long as it is warm at the end of the trip. Moving them when it is freezing to a place that is freezing will give you large losses. Moving them 50 feet in warm weather won't.


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## thequeensblessing (Mar 30, 2003)

Iddee said:


> 2 feet, 2 miles, 2 yards, 2 thousand miles. That's what I'm saying. Move them as far as you want. It doesn't matter. They will be fine. You can even move them from the snowbanks of Wisconsin to sunny Florida, as long as it is warm at the end of the trip. Moving them when it is freezing to a place that is freezing will give you large losses. Moving them 50 feet in warm weather won't.


Perhaps you missed this in my previous post. I'll ask again. Can you explain your reasoning here?


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

My reasoning for moving them any distance being the same??

I explained it here.

>>>>When a hive is moved, the stragglers will take up with the nearest hive they can find. If theirs is the nearest one, they will go home.<<<<

If you move one hive out of a group, then the returnees will take up with a different hive. If you move all the hives, they will circle until they find the group. If you have only one hive and move it, they will find it.

Now explain to me. When you move one 5 miles, how do you know they didn't just fly out and not find their way back? If they didn't reorient to the new location. If they did, then why do they not reorient when moved 200 yards?


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## thequeensblessing (Mar 30, 2003)

No Iddee, I mean what is your reasoning for not moving a hive in the winter months.


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

You can move them fine if it is above 40 F. where you end with them. If you move them when it's freezing and they break from cluster and fall down, they can freeze to death before getting back into a cluster. They only heat the cluster area, not the whole interior of the hive.


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## thequeensblessing (Mar 30, 2003)

Iddee said:


> You can move them fine if it is above 40 F. where you end with them. If you move them when it's freezing and they break from cluster and fall down, they can freeze to death before getting back into a cluster. They only heat the cluster area, not the whole interior of the hive.


Considering the bees cluster on the frames, not hanging free like a swarm in the summertime, you'd have to be something a good deal less than careful as you are moving them to get them to break cluster. A little forethought and a little care, and you can move them anywhere, at anytime. If you're rough and ill prepared, then yes, you're gonna run the risk of losing them.


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

OK....

Now back to the op, which was moving them a short distance in normal weather.


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## Bouncenhumble (Jan 12, 2004)

Good idea I would advise any one. Be safe, 2" or 2 miles. Sure 200' is a pain. But I would still play it safe, if I can have my hive where I need it to be in a few months,*shrug*


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

A good hand full of your wifes grass will work fine. It is Kare who usally has the hand ful of grass ready when I pull the entrance closer off and quickly stuffs it in the opening.

Some how I never considered the honey bee as stupid. When they are shut in at night and the morning light shines in the cracks they I feel know some thing isn't right.
When they are being joshled across the lawn or field they seem to figure out some thing isn't right I feel.
So when the closer does come out and grass is stuffed in the entrance they have to move being smart little critters they seem to know some thing has changed and re aquire their bearrings.
And since we some times as bee keepers forget thing we should do we also stuff the grass in the entrance even if we move them many miles away, Habit for us and a reminder for the bees some thing has changed.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Moved about 30 feet.










Movged about 200 yards.










 Al


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## Michael Bush (Oct 26, 2008)

I'd just move them and do something to get them to reorient. C. C. Miller would just knock the hive pretty good to set up nasonoving and get them to reorient. Some would take a frame or two of bees and shake them back into the hive. This sets off nasonoving which then sets off reorientation. If you do this BEFORE you move them (assuming you are doing it a box at a time by yourself in the daytime) then it will tend to get them to stay when they come back from foraging. After about 30 minutes or so you'll have most of the bees there. Other ways to get them to reorient are an obsruction in front of the entrance. A branch that has some leaves they have to fly thorugh or a board works well. Having them confined for 72 hours works as well, but is difficult to do without feeding water and providing a lot of ventilation this time of year.

Some will always go back for the first day or two.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesmoving.htm


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## Bouncenhumble (Jan 12, 2004)

Ok Ok Ok I have been reading a few other things and talking to a few others and they seem to all say about the same thing. Maybe it is just me who has never done this, or heard of this.

And I just had a swarm move in to some boxes I had just finished painting 2 days ago, (I don't think the paint was even dry yet) in front of my garage. My other hives are about 300 yards away... I will try... again


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## Jubilee (Mar 12, 2009)

Thanks for all your help. I moved my hive at dusk when the bees were all inside then I banged on the hive a few times to to get the bees to come out and see what was going on. This was to get them to realize some thing was different. After they had all gone back inside I pute some grass across the enterance to reminde them again in the morning that some thing had changed. I also pute a box at the old spot for for those that returned to it to take shelter in. The next day there were about two cups of bees at the old spot I dumped them on the ground infront of the hive. the day after that there were only five or six. and on the third day there was only one. Thanks again for all your help.


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## Bouncenhumble (Jan 12, 2004)

Jubilee said:


> Thanks for all your help. I moved my hive at dusk when the bees were all inside then I banged on the hive a few times to to get the bees to come out and see what was going on. This was to get them to realize some thing was different. After they had all gone back inside I pute some grass across the enterance to reminde them again in the morning that some thing had changed. I also pute a box at the old spot for for those that returned to it to take shelter in. The next day there were about two cups of bees at the old spot I dumped them on the ground infront of the hive. the day after that there were only five or six. and on the third day there was only one. Thanks again for all your help.


Cool beans! I hope it works that well for me as I am about to go out and move mine tonight.


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## Michael Bush (Oct 26, 2008)

I forgot the grass method. That's another common one to get them to reorient.


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