Your go-to guide on relocating or transporting bees
There are many reasons to move beehives – they could be placed in a spot that’s too sunny, shady or wet; you might need to update or reorganise your property; or you may be selling your bee hive to someone.
Whatever the reason, moving bee hives is a necessity sometimes – but it’s not as easy as it seems. If you’re not careful, moving can disorient your bees and make it more difficult for them to return to the hive, resulting in losses of some of your bees. That’s why it’s important to move hives without disrupting the life of your colony.
Here’s everything you need to know about moving, transporting or relocating hives safely:
When to move your bees
Before you move your hives, make sure it’s truly necessary. Reasons include:
- Buying a colony and bringing it back to your property
- Rearranging your garden or property
- Moving house – and taking hives with you
- A disturbance in the area, such as flooding or storm damage
- If hives are in an unsuitable area, like a dark, shady spot or an exposed hillside
How to move a beehive a short-distance
Moving hives a short distance – across your garden, for example – can be more time-consuming than moving them further. That’s because of the three-foot or 1m rule: moving a hive in three-foot or 1m increments to minimise disruption to your bees.
This works because of bees’ homing instinct – when they leave the hive to forage, it helps them navigate back home. If the hive moves position while they’re out, they may find it hard to locate, and could even die before they get back. If the hive moves just three feet or 1m from its previous position, they’re usually able to find it.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Act with caution
Remember to prioritise your health and safety. Full hives can be heavy, so make sure you have someone on hand to help you.
2. Work in daylight
If it’s dark and your bees can’t see where you’ve moved the hive, it could add to their disorientation.
3. Secure the hive
Place a strap around the boxes to secure them for moving.
4. Move three feet or 1m
Moving three feet or 1m at a time gives the bees the best chance of reorienting and returning to the hive.
5. Obstruct the hive entrance
It’s not critical, but if needed you can place a tree branch, grass or leaves in front of where the old hive entrance used to be. This can help to distract the bees from the old entrance, and force them to reorientate to the new one.
6. Wait until bees click
It may take the bees a few hours to find the new location of their hive. Keep the hive in its new spot until they have.
7. Continue the process each day
Once you’re happy that the bees have returned, move the hive another three feet or 1m every day. Keep shifting in stages, waiting a day every time to ensure the bees reorientate, until you reach your new location.
Moving bee hives a long distance
Moving your hives long distances takes a bit more preparation. Here’s what you need to do to ensure you move your colony safely.
Choose appropriate conditions
Heat can kill your bees, so if you need to move them a long distance and they’re going to be boxed up for a while, it’s best to choose a cooler day and always ensure adequate ventilation in the hive!
Close up hives
Wait until after sunset or first thing in the morning before you move the hives, to ensure all the bees are there and not out foraging. To close the hive, we recommend using our Hive Doctor Smart Bottom boards as you can simple close the disks to keep the bees inside. Alternatively, if you don’t yet have a smart bottom board on your hive cover the entrance with a cloth, or mattress foam, and staple it shut. Cover any other holes with tape.
Ensure sufficient ventilation
If you don’t give bees enough ventilation when you’re moving them, you’ll end up with a dead hive – so use a mesh bottom board, or drill small ventilation holes to keep air moving through.
Making sure your hive isn’t too full of honey and comb will also help! Extract honey before you move the hive, giving more room and less weight in the hive. If your frames are too full of honey when you move, with a bit of heat and bumps on the road the frames could collapse causing an avalanche of honey which may kill your hive en route.
Make everything secure
Unsecured hive boxes can shift during a drive, crushing bees and damaging brood. Minimise the risk by strapping your hive boxes together and securing them to your vehicle before you leave.
Get on the road
Your bees will feel stressed at being trapped inside their hive, so start your journey as soon as you’ve boxed them up.
Think before you move
Whether you’re moving a hive three metres or three miles, you run the risk of disorienting your bees and causing damage to your colony. Make sure that doesn’t happen by planning carefully, moving efficiently and following the guidelines, so your bees can settle into their new spot without a fuss.
Want more tips on beekeeping? Check out Ecrotek’s other blogshere.