I'm looking for advise from beekeepers in the New England states, Hartford
area preferably.  I'm a low key hobbyist, living near Chicago. I'm moving
to the Hartford area in this coming mid-June, and I'd been planning to move
my 4 hives sometime earlier this spring before the major honey flow.  But
unfortunately 2 weeks ago when we had nice weather I check my hives and
found them all dead.  The local bee inspector says the varroa mite got
them, so there's no contamination to the hive equip.  Now I have a
dilemma.  Do I order bees here, and install them in late April, then try to
move them in mid June?  If I move the empty equip. out to the Hartford
area with the rest of my belongings in mid June would it be too late to
install a new pkg. of bees?  Should I just forget it this year and start up
next year?  I don't have much experience moving live hives, but it seems to
me it would have been simple to move them to CT during the cool spring
weather, but it will be a major hassle to drive them 20 or so hours in mid
June.  Any advice will be appreciated.
 
(written at  7:37 am on Fri, Mar 31, 1995)