bee-keeperWhile some beekeepers keep their bees in one place all year, others move them to follow the flow — to acacia in the lowlands, then to a mountain meadow or sunflower on the plains. Migratory beekeeping can greatly increase the yield because you follow the bloom, but it demands equipment, planning, and care, because a move is stressful and risky for the colony. Here is how it is done, step by step.
Why move bees
The reason is simple: go where the flow is. By moving to acacia, linden, sunflower, or a rich meadow at the right moment, you get stronger flows and a bigger yield than from one place. Migratory beekeepers often chain several flows in a season, and sometimes rent colonies out for pollinating orchards and crops.
What you need for a move
A move is not something you improvise. Prepare in advance:
- Transport — a trailer, van, or truck, depending on the number of hives
- Means of securing — ratchet straps and clips so the boxes and frames do not shift in transit
- Screens or entrance closures with good ventilation
- Top ventilation provided — overheating is the biggest killer during a move
- A site agreed in advance and, where required, permits and paperwork
Preparing the colony before the trip
Hives are closed up when all the bees are inside — late in the evening or before dawn. Before that, secure the boxes and frames so they cannot move, because a shifted box in transit can crush bees and the queen. Open the top ventilation and make sure the colony is not left closed for long in the heat. The warmer it is and the stronger the colony, the more air it needs.
The transport itself
Drive carefully and, whenever you can, at night or during the cooler part of the day. Bees closed in a hive produce a lot of heat and easily suffocate if there is no airflow — that is why ventilation matters more than anything. Avoid long stops in the sun, and keep the time the hives are closed to the absolute minimum.
On arrival at the new site
Set the hives out at the new place before dawn or in the early morning, stand them stably, and only then open the entrances. Let the bees orient themselves — the first flights at a new site are orientation flights. Provide water nearby and leave the colonies in peace for at least a day to settle before you inspect them.
Risks and how to avoid them
A move carries real risks you need to be aware of:
- Overheating and suffocation — the main cause of losses; solved by good ventilation and driving in the cool
- Boxes shifting or toppling — prevented by good straps and securing
- Stress and the loss of the queen in the crowding and jolting
- Robbing and agitation on arrival, especially in a dearth
- Theft of hives, and the cost of fuel and time at a distant site
Rules and arrangements
Before a move, clear the formalities: an arrangement with the landowner, a decent distance from other apiaries, and, where required, registration and veterinary paperwork for moving bees. Rules differ from place to place and change, so check the current regulations with the relevant authority or association in your country; this is not legal advice.
Plan your moves and track the forage
With migratory beekeeping it is easy to lose the overview — where each colony is, when you moved it, and to which flow. The bee-keeper app has a Paša (forage move) option: for an apiary or a single hive you record the move and the location, so at any moment you know where your bees are and how each flow went. That way, next year you move smarter, based on your own data.