Do bees move into abandoned hives? Yes, they also love this! Now, these answers were really short and boring, so let’s have a look at what all these “yes they do”.
Yes – a swarm of bees loves nothing more than to move into an empty hive box. The dimensions of an empty hive are pretty much exactly what they are looking for.
There are a few things we should keep in mind here. If a hive was abandoned because the bees in that hive were sick due to American or European Foul Brood, this can result in the next swarm getting sick too.
Remember a new hive is less attractive to swarms than a hive that has had bees in it. Here you can use this useful trick to create catch boxes to catch swarms.
They really will, packed new frames into all the boxes, strapped lids onto them, and had them ready to take out the next week to place in citrus orchards to catch spring swarms.
Place this baited box on top of a roof in a sunny place in spring. If the site is close to a field of flowers that produces a strong honey flow, or some type of tree that does, this will help.