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Performing A Delicate Beehive Relocation

By Rebecca Watson


With bees disappearing by the millions, many people all over the world are learning how to keep bees of various kinds. Honey bees are naturally the most popular hives for most people since the work and risk of stinging injury is all rewarded by a regular sweet treat. However, no matter what kind of bees are in your bonnet, you will need to learn how to do a successful beehive relocation.

What must be understood about these most sophisticated creatures is that they require a period of reorientation when a hive is moved. Even if it is only being shifted a few feet away, it is a good idea to cover the hive with a small faggot of sticks. This temporary containment causes them to begin reorientation immediately, as they are tricked into thinking that a branch has fallen over the entrance.

If the keeper fails to keep the bees in the hive, they may spill out the opening by the thousands. A move of even a few feet may cause them to fly in a panic, whizzing about trying to find their home once more. They are much more likely to swarm and sting at this time, and if they find the wrong hive an ugly fight to the death can ensue.

Do not fret if some bees fail at this process. If you see a small bunch or swarm still hovering around the prior location, place an empty nucleus box at their old home site. Those bees still confused will find their way into it by nightfall, then you simply close the lid and move the poor darlings to their old abode so they can restart reorientation.

Like humans, bees can get quite cranky during cold months, and they prefer to stay indoors if it falls below 50 degrees F. For this reason, moving them during a pleasant, but frigid winter day might be ideal. You will still want to place the sticks in front of the hive after it is opened up again, however, just to make sure they go through their normal process.

In addition, their hives are more delicate in the warmer weather, and can come unattached from the sides of their box if jostled too hard. Also, the newer the colony, the more delicate their hive may be. So, avoid moving a young colony during the hottest time of the year, and you will have automatically increased your likelihood of success.

Whether it is a winter afternoon or a summer morning at 5:00 AM, ventilation holes are more than just a good common-sense notion. Too small for them to escape, but large enough for the entire colony to breath is the idea. This is especially true if the move is going to be a long distance, as this just might involve shaking the box up during transit.

Keeping water sprayed around any ventilation openings is another way to help keep the bees from overheating. A hive can generate a great deal of heat to begin with, and overheated bees are dead bees. If driving them a few miles down the road or across a field, keep spraying water, crank up the air conditioning, and be sure that your hive is set on pillows, blankets, or Styrofoam to lessen the jostle.




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