> Andrew &Tiffany need to move bees in winter. I have done this on a
> number of occasions and not noticed any significant harmful effect on
> the bees. ... One advantage of winter moves is that  you can move
> colonies short distances and they will not usually return to the
> original site as they would when actively flying
 
I've been following this thread and have to add that, although the matter
has been exhaustively covered in the past, there have been some recent
responses that are simply wrong and I appreciate this common sense post.
 
FWIW, I have experienced no problem *whatsoever* moving bees in the winter
over the twenty-five or so years that I have done so without *any* special
attention or preparation.  And I have moved bees as far as 500 miles in
sub-freezing temps on an open truck in mid-winter.
 
There are, naturally,  some things to keep in mind. However, that applies
spring, summer, fall -- or winter.  For each season, there are different
hazards to consider.  Winter moves are the simplest, since the bees do not
bother to come out very much at all and don't wander, and won't overheat
unless you close them up (unecessary).
 
Basically, all you need to know about winter moving is that it might not
be wise to simply grab a hive at minus forty degrees and bump it around
hard because the temperatures are so extreme that bees lost from the
cluster, even for moments, have no chance of surviving.  Since most people
and vehicles are not functioning too comfortably themselves at those
temperatures, the risk of such moves is not too great.
 
Other than that, healthy bees are perfectly happy in their hives at
temperatures around the freezing range to minus fifteen Celcius or so and
will travel well without any closing or other prep.  I suppose that if the
entrances were placed so that cold 60 MPH winds were forced into the hive
for hours at end, serious losses could ocur, so some prudence is advised.
 
Banging, dropping hives in the snow and prolonged moves are probably not
beneficial, nonetheless, I have had odd hives of bees on my truck for days
at a time as I go from yard to yard in December at temperatures down to
minus twenty Celcius without any apparent effect.
 
We've dropped occasional hives and had to scoop bees from the snow back
into the hive at minus 5 degrees or colder when the doubles came apart,
and, yes, we did lose some individual bees, but this did not ever kill the
hive or have a prolonged effect -- AFAIK.
 
I have read that winter moves may increase tendency to nosema or increased
food consumption, but frankly, I have never found this so obvious that I
noticed it.  We move hives any time we are comfortable to work ourselves
and the bees seem to thrive.
 
Just us common sense as far as jarring and wind exposure is concerned, and
you'll be alright.
 
Allen
 
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