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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
James Fischer <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 12 Jul 2014 09:35:02 -0400
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> The field bees will continue to return 
> to their original hive locations during 
> the day for 3-4 days, but don't cluster 
> at the site unless there is a structure.

Untrue  - a structure is not required.  They cluster where they can, even on
the ground.

The bees will gather where the hives were located.
The bees certainly would be assisted by a capture hive, some comb, a water
source, and so on, but if the hive(s) are moved, and nothing is left behind,
the bees will still land, and huddle together, seemingly to discuss the
sudden lack of a roof over their heads.

This recently happened in both suburban and an urban moves, where colonies
were moved "not quite far enough".  (I never get a call or an email BEFORE
these moves, I only get a call when things are not working out for the
beekeeper who moved the hives).  The suburban bees gathered on the grass,
and in the urban move, where roof work was starting, the hives were moved to
another roof, not quite outside the foraging range of the hives.  The bees
gathered on the flat featureless roof where the hives had been.  Placement
of cardboard nucs with comb and pheromone lures worked in the suburban case,
as each evening, the bees in the cardboard boxes were dumped into the moved
hive at its new location.  

The urban scenario not solved by the cardboard nucs, as the roof workers
were intimidated by the bees, and refused to start work, so the following
evening, the moved hives were relocated again, this time, 5 miles further
away to a yard where hived swarms are kept "in quarantine" before they are
"adopted".

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