I have to move my top bar hive to new ground 45 miles away. Id like to do it now while the bees are not active. Is there any reason not to move them in the winter? The highs in my area are in the 30s and 40s F in my area right now.
a cold season is convenient to move bees because they're all inside so there's no need to do it after dark. cool temperatures also make comb collapse less likely, though being careful is still in order. it's hard on the bees because they don't have any nectar or pollen to gather to recover from the disturbance. I don't think there's really any ideal time to move a hive, but winter does have some things recommending it.