Well.. the deed is done.
Last night I masking taped up the hive entrance. Removed the roof (to try and make it a little lighter), and along with a helper carried the hive the 300yds or so across the field where the hive was kept to my waiting camper for moving. I may have slightly mis-calculated the required space which lead to us having the remove the kitchen from the camper and abandon it at the end of the field for later pickup. The bees were extremely quiet throughout the slow journey to their new location about 1/4 mile away. They didn't even complain when I nearly dropped them after getting my leg tangled in a fence whilst we lifted the hive over. My helper Tom managed to not get in the least bit exasperated with me, at least visibly. Once the hive was levelled up I headed to the old location (retrieved the camper kitchen) and placed a bait hive there with the entrance in roughly the same place as the old hives. The idea being any foragers that head out today may go back to the old hive location and at least they'll have some shelter until I go pick them up and take them back.
I remembered after I had gone to bed that I needed to stuff the entrance with grass to promote "reorientation", but I managed to get over there this morning before the bees got up. *sigh* let's hope they settle into the new August Cottage Apiary. Hopeful I'll be able to move my new (as yet uninhabited hives) over there at the weekend.
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