Best time to move a new hive?

11 years ago

We have a set of large bamboo wind chimes near the front door of our house, and we have noticed that wild bees seem to be setting up a new hive in them. While we're thrilled to see bees setting up a home, we'd like to move the chimes away from our front door. We tried that yesterday afternoon, but then moved the chimes back to their original location this morning because we noticed that many bees kept returning to the area near the front door and we feared they wouldn't be able to find their way to the new location. I need some advice on when is the best time and manner in which to move the chimes, so that the bees will be able to find their way back home. Thanks in advance.

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Comments (6)

bobity
11 years ago
Sounds like you have a Honey bee swarm. Contact a local bee keeper Association to collect them, or if you have access to info. and a box to put them in, go for it yourself. You may well become a bee keeper. They are astounding creatures and hardly ever sting or bite when in this stage. Just be as sure as you can that tyey are honey bee's.

Bob
westernnyguy
11 years ago
if there honey bees - hundreds of worker bees are - forming around the queen bee and normally when on a tree branch - a quick shake if the branch over a hive box with drawn frames inside - the queen being heavier and larger will normally fall the quickest and if once on the drawn frames usually never leave. Let the swarm settle in which they will do if the queen is inside the hive box, until dark - put the hive cover on the box and and along with a base board, move all in the dark to the location where you would like the hive to develop and exist. Normally I also threw a couple hands full of grass on to the entrance way, making the worker bees take a little time getting use to the new doorway and location of the hive as they attempt to make there first flights from the new location at first daylight the next day..
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dbarron
11 years ago
I wonder if this wouldn't be ideal habitat for tube dwelling bees like the wood boring species and not honey bees at all?
westernnyguy
11 years ago
dbarron I have seen very few wood boring hornets of what ever the species are called but it would be nothing i would be interested in around my house.. Sorry i cant be of more help.
dbarron
11 years ago
Err no, I propose you have solitary bees and not honey bees.
Are you seeing tens of bees or many hundreds of bees ?
theitaliangardenonyoutube
11 years ago
yeah i would say you have mason bee's if wind chimes are involved because they are circular and mason bee's nest in woodpecker holes and in reeds in the wild. but when a human makes a nice little place for them to live in metal tubes they will use them as long as they are a little bigger than a pencil. I have episodes on mason bee's and what they nest in and look like on my YouTube garden Vlog channel if you would like to check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2rcUDHm64nbp6kDUpDeiTw