Closing up for a day

[leonotron]

I have to close up a few hives tomorrow due to a gardener working in the garden where I keep my bees. Two of them are on OMF. I have pieces of mesh to cover the entrances. On one hive I have put in a piece of mesh over a feeding hole in the crown board and I will raise the roof by 20mm to allow for air flow. On the other one I have a perspex crown boards so my plan is prop the brown board by 2mm all the way around. Is this enough? I plan to close them in tonight after dark and I'll release them again at about 6pm tomorrow eve when I get in from work. Do I need to do anything to provide them with water? Should I spray them through the OMF in the morning?

 

[Dishmop]

You might have to be prepared to make a hasty retreat when you open up.

 

[leonotron]

I'm expecting I will! They weren't too happy with me this evening when I was getting the mesh sized up and ventilation sorted.

 

[Ely]

Can't you lend the gardener a veil?

 

[enrico]

I would close them up apart from the floor, move them into the shade or put some shade over them and spray through floor every hour with water. Done it in the past for tree fellers and it worked ok. Moved them into the garage and back out again letting them out for an evening flight three days running
E

 

[leonotron]

There two of them so can't really lend a veil. Hard to do gardening work all day in a bee suit too. My bees can be aggressive so I'd rather have then kept in I think.
I'm not around to spray water every hour so in the morning will have to do.

 

[leonotron]

Closed them up. About 20-30 managed to escape. I'd say they will be pretty annoyed in the morning. Got one sting in the arm through my suit. Worried about them now and what those stragglers might do to the gardners. Also what the bees will be like when I let them out tomorrow evening.