Hello Al & All,

>Do the girls forget their orientation if cooped up for a couple of weeks,
>or am I courting disaster trying to move them a couple  hundred feet at
>once.

The rule is still the same. Cooped up a couple weeks might help but I
suspect most will return to the old spot.

A couple feet at a time or several miles and then return to new spot on farm
is the rule.

We had a 70 F. day a week ago in Missouri and the girls were back up trying
to get into the honey house. Trying to enter the honey house was what they
were trying to do two months ago when the temperature dropped. They had been
cooped up  for a couple months.

>I would like to move several hives to a more accessable area of
the farm with the rest of the hives.

Wait until spring and reduce the hives  into  singles. screen entrance and
fasten together  and move a couple miles for a couple days. Rescreen and
move back to the spot you want and put the MT second deep back on top. One
person can handle the move and your bees are all down in the lower box ready
to start spring.

Bob