# re-placing bees in almonds?



## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

Do it at night to minimize losses.


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## whiskers (Aug 28, 2011)

Many say that some sort of obstacle (branches or such) in front of the entrance will induce the bees to reorient as they leave.
Bill


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

If you have enough other hives switch them out.

They really want to move them to where they aren't as visible, right? People aren't really getting stung, are they?


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## SouthTexasJohn (Mar 16, 2015)

How far away from the buds coming out? One that happens, this will be mute, right?


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

SouthTexasJohn said:


> How far away from the buds coming out?


Doesn't matter. Bees fly to work, they don't walk. As long as the right ratio is there they will get the job done.


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## Sunday Farmer (Nov 13, 2013)

I had a similar problem in regards to having to move hives roughly 200 feet within the same yard last summer. We moved them on a rainy day and had another rainy day to keep the bees inside. A couple days later there was a cluster (think basketball) of bees clustering by the old spot. There were forages throughout the barley field just lingering. It sucked. Really did. 

I think in retrospect I would have taken the 24 hives and just moved them to a new yard.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

First I would try to talk them out of it, explaining that the bees are already oriented to this spot and would return and perhaps cause more of a problem. If they insisted I would suggest moving all but one hive so that you can at least catch the disoriented bees that return. If you have additional hives not in the area you can do a "double switch" moving additional hives to the new location in the orchard and move the bees in question out of the area entirely and place them back in location number 2.


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## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

If you move all the hives, you will have numerous foragers trying to find the old location. These frustrated bees are very, very aggressive. The people that are complaining will get a double dose of aggression. 

You may move the strong hives (which may reduce the people impact) but leave several weak queenright hives behind to "harvest" lost bees. This has the advantage that it will build up the weak hives and avoid the issues with angry bees that have lost their nests. Once the stragglers are "harvested" you may move those hives the usual "two miles". In almond bloom time, the effective distance to move is much less as the foragers will only be working a 2 acre radius --- they won't be flying across the county looking for something, anything to gather nectar from.

My county ordinance has a 200 foot rule from public roadways, ***unless*** the bees are pollinating a commercial crop. Ask to see the ordinance, as it may contain an exception to the house distance rule.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

"Yes, of course I will move them. In two weeks." after petal fall.


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

I'd leave them for the next 3 weeks and pull them at 90 % petal fall if the grower will go for it ot. Any county with almonds is going to have the government folks who deal with bees so overworked you are likely to be pushed to the bottom of the to do list in the next while. Best leave them. Moving them will cause many pissed off queenless bees that will be a bigger issue than the one at hand safety wise.


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

Read the county ordinance.If your doing commercial pollination, you should be able to set them closer than 200ft to property lines.


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## fieldsofnaturalhoney (Feb 29, 2012)

80 acres? And y'all chose to put them next to the ghetto community houses? Why not in the orchard?, hindsight,,Time for some ghetto communication & mike & Ike. As pointed out by JwChestnut, moving them may only complicate/increase the complaints, which are what exactly? By the way, what does the country have to do with this?:gh:


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

fieldsofnaturalhoney said:


> By the way, what does the country have to do with this?:gh:


I think what was meant by "small ghetto country community" was a small community of houses in the country which is poor and ethnically different than the person setting the bees in the almond grove. I'm not sure.


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

I think he meant county too.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

jim lyon said:


> First I would try to talk them out of it, explaining that the bees are already oriented to this spot and would return and perhaps cause more of a problem.


I agree, and tell them they will lose pollination.

Back in '84 or so, I was pollinating an apple orchard in NY. The owner showed me the row where the drop was to go. "Drive down to the cut-out and drop 14 hives". Didn't actually show me the spot. Later that night, in the rain, I drove down the row, dropping the hives where there were a few trees missing. Next morning I get a call from the orchard. Seems I placed the bees in the wrong place...by 200', and I had better move the bees to the correct location. Moved them that night, after they had flown for a day. Next day, there were big clusters of bees in the trees and on the footprint where each hive had bees. I moved in 5 nucs to the original location, the clusters went into the nucs, and I took them home. Sucked to be him.


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