From: "Peter Chiang Mai" <[log in to unmask]>
>>Not sure if I should be asking this on the list or not ...  I have noticed 
>>that the discussion topics increasingly are at the smart end and my 
>>question is kind of basic.....

Not to worry; there are lots of old timers like me with plenty of beekeeping 
experience, yet we can easily get lost and wander around for a while among 
all these esoteric posts....heh heh.

>>If I am too close to the old location the home bees will fly back home and 
>>weaken the new colony.  Moving to my other location on the plains would 
>>keep the bees all together but it is a lot of moving.  So how do I move 
>>them without loosing bees?

You will lose some when moving that close. It won't matter if you plan for 
it. Just make sure the ones that move have plenty of young (house) bees - 
enough to cover the brood. If you are working the bees during a flow - as 
you should be - the bees you see will be mostly house bees. These won't 
leave.

I have made many splits that were only moved a short distance. Oftentimes I 
have split to replace a deadout and moved within the same yard. I think it 
helps a bit to keep the old queen in the side that's moved, as there will be 
less break in the brood cycle, and this tends to help hold bees.

>>The other thing I am wondering is when to move them.  Should I leave the 
>>splits together with the other hives until the queens are fertilized or 
>>should I move them as soon as the splits are done?

Move them immediately; there's nothing to be gained by waiting. Drones fly 
(sometimes miles) to drone congregation areas. You want plenty of drones 
from different hives at the mating site, to prevent queens from mating with 
their brothers. So try to have a supply of drones from a variety of hives 
not too far from your mating site.

Remember than in a crowded yard, bees will tend to drift. This is especially 
bad if the hives are lined up in a straight row, as I've seen many hobbyists 
do. It can be a problem with worker bees, but it is fatal to a hive getting 
a queen mated, if she goes into the wrong hive. So keep your mating units 
spread out, facing different directions, and give them plenty of landmarks 
to orient.

Dave



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