I asked Andy:
 
>I've been wondering: all the pollinators seem to move at night.  We've
>moved bees in the daytime and had good luck, but not on the scale that
>we'll be moving this summer.
 
Andy repied:
 
A lot depends on the length of the trip and the temperatures.
Beekeepers in the hot hot southwest have no problem moving short distances
in the heat of the day when the bees do not fly because of the heat.
 
Here in California moving bees in the day time during the spring, summer,
and fall is to invite bad trouble with people problems. A few years ago a
loaded semi broke down up north and was parked a few hours for repairs then
took up the journey. Along comes a pedestrian out for a walk, his body was
found a few hours later.
 
There are certainly many cold foggy days during the winter that bees can be
moved all day long and many do take advantage of this when moving from semi
holding yards to the almonds, normally a short trip.
 
Moving bees anytime requires a lot of common sense not shared by the
average non beekeeper. One thing that most do on long trips such as moving
to the Dakotas from California is to have pre arranged watering stops to
wet down the load if the weather is warm. A lot of bees that used to not
make it are saved this way.
 
Said as it is all across the United States on migration routes used by
beekeepers there are as many horror stories as their are beekeepers. Mostly
beekeepers moving when temperatures allow the bees to fly, then when the
driver stops for coffee, fuel or rest, the bees bail out. Some towns have
ordnances prohibiting bee trucks from stopping anytime usually passed after
a bee forced closed down of town merchants or stinging incidents. Its bad
enough that bee keepers forget that bees sting, but forgetting the fear the
public has for bees is short sighted.
 
The California Legislature has attempted several times to require all bee
trucks to be netted when moving any kind of bee hives or equipment such as
supers filled or not. A few states have these kind of laws already.
 
These laws are proposed by the Highway Petrol every time some beekeeper
causes a problem.
 
>What do you know about this possibility? I gather no one screens hives on
>a commercial scale?
 
When I started there were still a few beekeepers screening hives to move
them, and all the first used bee hives I started with had staples for the
screens and I used to cuss them every time I ripped my clothes or hands.
From working with package bees which are screened I learned early on its
one good way to kill a lot of bees by suffocation, and that was a problem
those who used moving screens had at the time. They all would talk of
getting to the new location and having nectar running out of their hives
onto the truck bed.<G>
 
Lots of Luck and I hope you remember that "pollination is excellent farming
practice but seldom good beekeeping". Beekeepers seldom recover what they
lose in pollinating, and for most that pollinate it is a cash flow problem
and not a nectar flow one.
 
ttul, the OLd Drone
 
... Nor will a bee buzz round two swelling peaches,