Well, today I really stressed the bees....

[AdmiralD]

When I started my hives, I had a couple of 1 story hivebody  polystirene [sp] hives given to me. When my bees started growing in numbers, I realized that I needed to get some more hive bodies. So, I bought the bee max polystyrene hive bodies...They dont fit. The new max bodies are just a bit larger than the ones that I have. So, I orded new max hives, complete with top, bottom board and hive bodie and black plastic frames...I have since renounced black plastic frames...It seems the cells are too big and the bees don't like to use them...So, I ordered some wax small cell  and wooded frames...I am replacing those plastic frames for the wax cells and attempting to use the plastic for future honey storage. [Unless someone wants them? :lol: ]

Well, I broke down the hives and moved them [not in that order, either] and replaced some plastic with some sm. cell wooden frames. And I got them in order that I want, 2 hive bodies at the bottom for brood and 1 super for this years honey for the bees. [at least that is my goal. ]

I also put in front of the hives entrances some lilac branches, to make the bees reorientate them selves. Cus, I didn't move them very far, but it was more accessable for me. I took them from between the shed and fence to out in the open next to the fence...

Boy, are my gentle bees angry!!!! I think I will leave them alone for a while...Also, I found lots of wax cells tht I clean off some of the old frames...and got some larva in the process...Dang!

I provided some more sugar water, 2:1 mix.  Hope they like thier new homes.

[Finsky]

You have problems of beginner. How could you know everything when you start?

When I started 43 years ago, I went to library and loaned "Modern Beekeeping". I build 3 hives myself.  When I met better beekeepers they said that my hives are old-fashioned. Make Langstroth boxes!

So I burned my 2 years old old-fashioned hives and burned my new old-fashioned frames.

Also I bought one straw hive with bees

[Michael Bush]

They aren't angry.  They are confused.  You moved them.  They will circle a lot until they get reoriented.  It will only last a day or two.  Angry bees and confused bees may seem the same to you now, but to an experience beekeeper they are worlds apart in how they sound and act.

I understand "retooling" because you don't have the equipment you now wish you had.  I have a lot of plastic foundation I don't use because I went to small cell.  I cut down a lot of deep boxes and frames because I went to all mediums.  I still have a few I haven't gotten to yet, but most are now mediums.  I still have a few shallows that I will add to eventually and make them into mediums.  If I could just figure out how to add to the shallow frames.  :?

[AdmiralD]

Michael said-

hey aren't angry. They are confused. You moved them. They will circle a lot until they get reoriented. It will only last a day or two. Angry bees and confused bees may seem the same to you now, but to an experience beekeeper they are worlds apart in how they sound and act.

Hmmmm....That makes sense...And since thier home went from dark blue color to a light/almost white home, yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Finsky remarked -

So I burned my 2 years old old-fashioned hives and burned my new old-fashioned frames.

I have NO intention of burning my old styrofoam hive. If I get a call, I can use it to transport ferel bees or temporary hold some frames. Maybe start a nuc...?

[Finsky]

Hmmmm....That makes sense...And since thier home went from dark blue color to a light/almost white home, yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Do you mean that your bees fly a lot  in front o white blastic  hive?

If it is so, white styrofoam box reflects light so that bees are blinded. You must paint box with latex paint.  When boxes are white, it takes a while that bees find an opening. When you paint them, they see opening at once.

[AdmiralD]

If it is so, white styrofoam box reflects light so that bees are blinded. You must paint box with latex paint. When boxes are white, it takes a while that bees find an opening. When you paint them, they see opening at once.

Oh, the hives are a light blue color...Not white... They are definately light blue.

[drobbins]

I'm curious about you comment about  lilac branches.
As another neebie I have set my hive up and now I kinda wish it was 50 feet over there :(
In the class I took they said if you move a hive 50 feet the bees will all go back to the original spot and be lost.
It's not clear to me if they ment if you do this in the day while they're all out foraging if if it would be a problem if you moved the hive while they are inside.
SOOO!
the question
what is the proper way to move a hive a short distance?
in my class they said you should move it several miles, wait a few weeks, then move it back where you want it
I guess it's really obvious you'd want to do any of this when they're all inside
(at night I guess?)

Dave

[lively Bee's]

Here is what I do I strap it to a 2 wheel dolly one night and move it about 4 - 5 feet I just leave the dolly hooked up with my 2 big dogs no one will steal it. The next night I move it another 4 - 5 feet. This is how I move the hive in the back yard and never had any problems

[Michael Bush]

>As another neebie I have set my hive up and now I kinda wish it was 50 feet over there  In the class I took they said if you move a hive 50 feet the bees will all go back to the original spot and be lost.

If you do not trigger reorientation, then that statement is true.  If you do trigger reorientation, then that statement is false.  I move them a hundred yards are more all the time with no problems.  The branch in front of the door is there to trigger reorientation.  The other important thing is to leave NO equipment at the old location.  Check it just before dark and if there are a lot of bees there, then put an empty box (with some empty drawn comb in it) there and let them move into that.  When they are all in the box, move it to the new location and set it beside the old hive and put a branch in front of it.  By the second night there will be no bees at the old site.

I seldom get to do the ideal.  The ideal would be to close them up after dark, move them, in one piece, to the new location, put the branch in front of the entrance and all the bees will reorient as they fly out.  I usually end up moving them a box at a time in the middle of the day.  This makes a lot of the field bees that were away circle until they find the new location, but they eventually find it.

There are other ways to trigger reorientation.  One is to close the hive up for 72 hours, but this usually isn't practical in hot weather.  The branch is the simplest and is almost as effective.

I have never had the luxury of being able to move a hive two miles wait a while and move it back and it's never been very practical to move it two feet at a time.  Besides moving it all at once is one disruption and in 24 hours things are back to normal.  Moving it two feet at a time disrupts it every day for 25 days to move it fifty feet.  I think that is much harder on the bees.

[Jerrymac]

I'm not sure two miles is enough. I got some bees out of a pump house wall a little over two miles away. A few days later I went back with the beevac to retrieve about a foot ball sized ball of bees that made it back to the pump house.

My theory is that if they forage up to three miles then they are going to run across old familiar ground and return to the old place. If they had foraged the two+ miles to my place before the move, then they already knew the way back to the old from here.

[Apis629]

According to anthing I've read the bees may fly up to 5 miles in a forest and 3 in open areas.  They determine there location by structural clues( birdfeeder, tree, statue, etc.) and by the position of the sun.