Moving Bees In Cold Weather

Do you have a hive or hives that have ended up in the wrong place? It could be that they are in too much shade and some afternoon sun would be helpful during the cold winter months. Taking advantage of this cooler weather can actually be a huge benefit to both you and the bees you are moving!

Benefits of moving bees in cooler weather:

• There’s no chance of overheating the bees while transporting them.
• Reorienting isn’t as critical because very little foraging is taking place, if any.
• Daytime moves are just as successful as nighttime moves because most of the bees are inside the hive on a cold day (below 50 degrees).
• It is much more comfortable for the beekeeper to work this hard in a bee suit in cooler weather! (This is my own personal win-win.)

Now that you’re convinced cool-weather moving is the way to go, let’s get those bees moved!

Long distance (beyond your property)

• Determine where you’re moving them to and prepare that place.
• Decide on night or day.
• Close off their entrance prior to moving.
  • My personal method is to close the entrances off after dark the night before a morning move. With it getting dark so early and the cooler weather, all the bees are inside so smoking them back in is not necessary.
  • If you have to, smoke the bees back inside when closing off the entrance. They do not like this, so be well suited.
  • Products such as vinyl corner bead work well. The bees can get ventilation and are secured. Screen wire works as well. Staple it securely with a hand stapler.
• Secure the bottom board to the bottom box and then the top box to the bottom box with hive staples. Make sure you do this after you’ve closed the entrance so the bees aren’t able to punish you for hitting a hammer on their hive.
• Use a ratchet strap (not tension strap) to ratchet the entire hive together tightly.
  • Do not take this step lightly. The boxes need to be very secure in transport to prevent them from shifting.
• Load using a helper and a hive carrier if you are lucky enough to have one
  • A double deep box full of bees and resources can weigh 75 pounds or more. Be prepared!
  • When using a hive carrier, use caution so that the notch handles don’t slip out of the hive box it’s carrying.
  • Hive carriers don’t fit over telescopic covers easily. You may have to tilt it to get it over the cover.
• When loading the hives into a truck or onto a trailer, face hive entrances to the rear or side if possible (avoiding direct wind blowing into the entrance).
• Strap hives down to the vehicle transporting the bees.
  • It’s OK to load hives side by side with no space between the sides of boxes.
  • Take time to truly secure your bees on the transport vehicle.
• Don’t delay getting your bees to their new location even in cooler weather.
  • Your bees will be ready to get off and have their entrances opened, so don’t delay this step.
• Once you have arrived at the new location, unload your bees promptly.
  • Remove the ratchet straps. You can leave the staples for now.
  • Remember, your bees just made a trip, and they are not happy!
  • Open the hive entrance once it’s placed at its new home.
    • Wear your bee suit! Again, they will not be happy from the ride!

Short Distance Move

• Follow the first five steps for moving a hive a long distance.
• If you’re moving to the other side of your yard or property, you can use a wagon, golf cart, or other means.
  • This method will “jog” the bees more than a car, truck, or trailer and they’ll not be happy about that, so prepare accordingly.
• Temperature variations
  • If it’s really cold and has been for days, you can move your bees a few feet or across the yard with no issues because they will be clustered tightly and won’t be foraging or need reorientation.
  • In warmer climates, you will still have bees flying in the afternoons on days above 50 degrees. If this is the case, you can move them gradually a few feet a day or move them all at once and face the entrance opposite of where it has been. Also, place an obstruction, like a branch, standing up in front of the hive to create an obstruction at the entrance. This will force them to reorient themselves if needed, help them adapt to their new location, and prevent them from returning to their old one. Remove the obstruction after a week.