How to Move a Beehive

Knowing how to move a beehive the proper way is an important skill for beekeepers. Whether you need to relocate a hive due to personal reasons or for the good of the colony, there are some tips you need to know first.

Beehives do not take up a lot of physical space – you can set down several in a small lot. However, a good or bad location can make a big difference in the health of your bees and the effort required to maintain them. This is why bee yard set up is an important task.

Why Moving a Beehive Is a Big Deal

Beginner beekeepers are always cautioned about the issues that can arise with bee relocation. Some of these cautionary tales may seem a bit extreme.

No, you won’t necessary kill your hive if you move it improperly. However, you can seriously hurt the colony and loose some important field bees or foragers.

But, there are times when there is just no other option and the task must be done. Hopefully, it will not be an emergency and you will at least have a few days to plan.

The Honey Bee Mind Map

So, why is moving the bee boxes an issue? It has do to with the way honey bees are able to find their way home – using a type of GPS.

We know that honey bees navigate using the location of the sun. (They can do it even when it is cloudy? How cool is that?). 

The magnetic fields of the earth also play a role in bee navigation. And now, we are learning that bees use landmarks to form “mind maps”.

The simple fact is that healthy bees know where the hive is. Fascinating! But there is a down-side to the navigation skills of the honey bee.

It is an amazing system, but in nature bees don’t normally have their home moved while they are away. When we do that – it causes problems.

If the beekeeper moves the hive what we would consider a short distance away – some of the bees have trouble finding the hive. 

Even those inside the hive may fly out and away and fail to reorient to the new location.

Relocating a Beehive to a Nearby Spot

If you need to move your beehive a very short distance, you should have few problems. A couple of feet (2-3 feet ) to the left, right, back or forward is not a big deal.

Returning foragers may experience a bit of confusion. But, they will use their sense of smell to find their sisters nearby.

As more of them find their way home – they will fan at the hive entrance (releasing special bee pheromones)- to help others find the way to the entrance.

Because of the way bees locate their home, moving hives several feet (more than 4 – 5 feet) to the right or left can result in more bee confusion.

Even that short distance can cause some drifting of bees other nearby colonies. They may become “lost” and keep returning to the original location. However, this problem generally resolves itself within an hour or so.

This situation can also occur when relocating captured swarms a short distance. A small percentage of the bees kept going back to the swarm trap area! It is maddening.. LOL

Forcing Bees to Reorient

Anytime that you move a colony of bees to a nearby location, place some small tree limbs or branches in front of the hive for a few days.

Foraging bees leaving the hive notice the change and “hopefully” re-orient to the new hive location. This has worked very well for me for short moves. It is not always 100% successful.

Some may be unable to find their home and perish but it does help reduce the number of lost and confused bees.

This same strategy can help when you capture a swarm near the bee yard and place it in a hive.

Again, aid in helping the bees reorient by placing an obstacle in front of the entrance. This could be a leafy branch or similar. It is temporary and only there to make the bees think – “hey something is different here”.

Moving Hives a Long Distance

Surprisingly, moving bees a farther distance is actually the easiest thing to do. This is why so many experts recommend to move the hive a couple of miles away and then back to the location you desire.

This noticeable change of location forces the honey bee “mind map” to reset. First, the bees reorient to the new hive location (perhaps at a friends house) and enjoy the resources there for a few days.

Then, when then are returned – they again reset to the new hive location at your home. This may seem like a lot of confusion but bee colonies are very adaptable.

It is believed this double reset is not as stressful as losing foragers. However, not everyone has the time or property available to do this.

Mid-Distance Hive Relocation

The most common mistake beekeepers make involves moving a colony more than a short distance but not too far way.

As amazing as it sounds, moving a beehive an intermittent distance can be more challenging than long distance relocation.

Let’s say, you need to relocate your bees to a spot 50 ft away? You do not have the opportunity to take them miles away and bring them back. In this case, the best way to move them without bee loss is to do so very slowly.

Move your hive in small increments (2 ft at a time) once a week until you reach your destination. I know this is time consuming but it is a way to avoid lost bees.

I had a beekeeping friend who did this by placing his hive on an old play wagon – I would recommend a sturdy garden cart or a small trailer.

Each week he pulled the hive a little farther along its destination. It looked funny but it worked! If you do not wish to implement the “wagon plan”, it is best to relocate the colony by moving it far away and then bringing the bees back home. 

How to Transport Bees When Relocating

Beehives are heavy and difficult to lift. Moving full sized honey producing colonies by hand is not something you want to do alone. It’s a great time to enlist some strong friends.

Physically lifting the hives is one part of the process when moving a beehive. But honestly, that is the easy part. Dealing with the living occupants inside – well, that is another matter. 

A handy resource to have is a hive moving net. I used one for years when capturing swarms or transporting package bees home (they always had a few loose bees hitching a ride.) It comes in handy if you transport bees inside the car!

A characteristic of honey bees that always amazed me was the tendency of the bees to stay in the hive while moving. 

As long as my hive sits on the back of the truck or rack of the ATV with the motor running, the bees stay inside. But, you don’t want to turn off the motor until you are ready to deal with the bees.

Of course, most beekeepers who move a beehive do not have nets. That is okay. But, you do need to secure the hive components together with ratchet straps or similar. The last thing you need to happen is hive tops or bottom boards coming off during transport.

And, most beekeepers will want to close the entrance of the hive-but not air-tight. This can be accomplished with almost anything: crumpled newspaper, grey packing foam (often found in electronic boxes), a rolled strip of screened wire. Use a little duct tape to hold it in if you wish. 

When moving hives during hot weather, we need to be aware of the need for beehive ventilation. 

In hot weather a colony can overheat in a short time. In this situation, folded screen or a purchased moving screen is the best option to close the hive entrance.

Safety Precautions

It should come as no surprise that moving boxes with thousands of stinging insects does pose a bit of a risk. The best thing to do is to close up the hive entrance (when possible) with screen or some barrier to keep bees inside.

Also, be sure to wear your beekeeper gloves and other protective wear. Avoid stinging situations with proper planning. If the hive is being place in the back of a pickup – make sure it is tied down and will not slide out!

Avoid Moving Beehives When Possible

The best advice for a new beekeeper is to choose the best hive location in the beginning. Don’t place hives too close to your house.

However, situations change and beekeepers find themselves needing to move bees at times. Perhaps, you need to move your hives because you are moving to a new home.

Or, maybe you are having a problem with a bear visiting your apiary and your hives are in danger. Yes, an electric fence for bears might help but it is hard to start a determined experienced bear.

Another reason for moving bees is that you just wish one of them (or more than one) was in a different spot. With proper timing and planning, you can move you beehive to a new spot without too much stress. 

FAQs

Final Thoughts

Keeping bees with success depends on developing an understanding of bee life. Failure to do so hurts the bees and the beekeeper. Bee hive relocation requires some thought and planning-if you hope to avoid losing a lot of bees.