Better yet, make up a screened in cover for the opening. Bees will come out and fan cool night air if the are crowded. The extra ventilation is a good idea.
I was reading somewhere that I can't rember where, but what was said that if you put branches with leaves obstructing the entrance they will be forced to reorientate to the new location.
Hi Bruce, Could a dolly be used to move hives 300 feet after a trip to the destination? Or would the tilt of the dolly be bad while going over terrain? (I'd use a dolly with pneumatic /air-filled tires.)
Hi Rainharvester, you can use a dolly with no problem as long as you orient the boxes so the frames are front to back - that way if you hit a bump, the frames inside the box don't slam together and potentially damage the queen. Take it slow and easy and it should be fine. Good luck and thanks for watching.
I wondering if a person could pack the small entrance full of candy and just let them eat their way out to a few sticks of brush or sticks so they will re orientate to the new location in the same yd.. I have 17 hives that I have to move from Nucs to 10 frame deeps and I really do not want them to leave this location.
Hi Dave, If you mixed the same candy fondant we use for queen cages it might work. I tried the sticks and brush in the entrance method twice without good results but other people have said it worked for them. One thing I don’t think I stressed in the video is to put them in a shady place during the three day lockdown so they don’t overheat. All the best Brother 😎
Hi Dandaman, After dark when you go to shut them in, there will be fewer bearding. You can try smoking them in (use a red light for fewer stings) or you can just shut them in, brush off the beard and move the hive - the ones left in your yard will eventually beg their way into other hives.
You are correct Sir, there is a stream just behind my bee yard but I feed the bees during their three-day lockdown and possibly for awhile after I release them depending on nectar flow.
