We have to Relocate

I do have lots to tell and so I will be updating on what has happened over the last while.

In mid March while the snow was still on the ground I got the dreaded news.

Like a thunderous dark cloud that would follow me everywhere I knew it was only a matter of time before lightening struck. I got a call to advise that the property where we kept our bees was going to be developed.

[Our old yard in the abandoned orchard]

A nice term: Developed. It has many different meanings. For us and the wildlife that take refuge in the abandoned orchard, it means the place will be leveled to make room for a factory some time in the future.

My first thought was for the nesting birds in spring. The orchard is a bird watchers paradise and I can only hope that the offspring are fledged before the bulldozers arrive.

We were certainly grateful for the four years we'd been allowed to stay on the property but the time was up. We had until the end of May to relocate our bee yard. We didn't have any prospects lined up and were kind of caught by surprise.

The scramble was on and Dad and I started call around to find a new location.


We wanted to avoid corn and neonics as much as possible and hopefully find a spot a reasonable distance from home. I also wanted to have two locations.

I'm happy to report that we found two new locations.

[One yard we call The Pines because of all the super tall pine trees that create a wind break.]

Both locations are within 5 km from home and have a great woods with lots of maples and water close by.

[Our second location we call Berry Fields is at Heeman's Garden Centre where there is a large bush as well as strawberry and raspberries to pollinate].


On the Easter weekend, my sister, her husband and their sons to helped with the move.

It took most of the weekend to move 18 hives.

Seven of the hives were dead (more on that later) but they still had to be moved. We got it done though and we're all settling in.

Next post I'll post on my invention that helped to move hives easily without taking them apart or putting our backs out.