Normal Behavior for Relocated Hives?

[Kris^]

This morning I moved three of my hives to a neighbor's field a few miles away.  Two acres of squash and another 18,000 acres of forest, meadows and flowering scrub within their 3 mile radius!  Got them all set and leveled before I set them free around 7:30 am.  Boy were they upset with being closed up, even for just a few hours.  (I closed them up around 4 am.)

Anyhow, I stopped by and checked them on my way home from work about 5:30 pm.  They were very active.  While some bees were doing the usual orientation flights in front of the hives, some seemed to be orienting on the BACK of the hives, although they couldn't get in from there.  And many more were flying all around the area in what looked like big angry circles around their hives.  And then there were lots of bees coming and going into and out of the fields.  I didn't feel very comfortable getting too close without a veil, but other than the number of bees in wild flight, things seemed normal.

Is this normal flight behavior for a day or so for hives reset in a new location?  I've never done this before and don't know what is normal.

-- Kris

[TwT]

sounds normal to me, it takes them a little time to get use to the area and they should do fine!!! check back in a few days and they should look like they were in their old yard!!!

[Brian D. Bray]

Bees are a lot like pigeons both must become aclimated to their home loft and when you move the loft they need to relocate their gyros and navigational instruments.  Their activity is normal for a relocated hive.

[tig]

looks pretty normal to me.  whenever i move my bees, i see them make oriantation flights all over the box.  its like they want to know the location of their box from all angles.  by the next day all is calm and well.