Hi I have just finished ny new flowhive and have a friend tommoz giving me bees from one of his hives then I’ll be bringing it back home about 10klm journey. Should I leave leave them locked in overnight to settle? Or is there a way to help them relocate
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Hi Jen, what I would suggest you do is sit the hive where you want it to go, then open it straight up. The bees will need that fresh air. The bees will re-orientate themselves in the morning. It doesn’t take long, then you’ll see them bringing back pollen.
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I totally agree with Jeff. Moving the bees will stress them and leaving them locked in will not achieve anything positive. The colony will orientate to the new location but you could put a pot plant or some foliage about the entrance if you like.
What I would do is when you transfer the bees into your Flow Brood box is to leave it in the donor hives position, or close by, till just on dark and all the bees have entered the hive then close it up for the trip home and as soon as the hive is where you want it then open the hive up and get clear. The bees won’t fly after you in the dark if you don’t use a torch, but they will crawl in the dark and come out angry so be a bit cautious and it will go well. Don’t disturb the colony till you see pollen coming into the hive.
Welcome to the forum where you will get lots of friendly advice and tips.
Cheers
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Hi and welcome to the Flow forum!
I agree with the above advice from @JeffH and @Peter48, however, I would add a little tweak. 
Bees do not really enjoy the jostling around that inevitably happens when you transport them. When I move a hive or a nucleus, I put it into its final location, then leave it alone for at least 30 minutes. That gives them a chance to calm down and realize that their world is not actually coming to an end.
Then very gently open the entrance (wearing a bee suit, gloves and veil), being careful not to bang around noisily or make jerky movements. Walk slowly away from the hive, and let them adjust.
Ten kilometers is enough distance from the parent hive that they will not “get lost” or return to their old home again. The surroundings will be unfamiliar to them, so they will just re-orientate naturally - if it is daylight when you open the entrance, you may see them flying figure of 8 patterns for the first 30 minutes or so, before they all settle down again. They are not necessarily angry or lost, they are just making a note of the new landmarks for their home.
Welcome to the fascinating world of beekeeping! 
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Something else to consider is: when transporting a hive, always where possible have the frames in line with the vehicle, not at right angles. In line with the vehicle means you don’t put undue force on the frames while braking & accelerating. I always make sure the frames are packed firm & can’t wobble, eliminating the chance of squashing bees between the frame faces. SHBs will take advantage of any squashed bees to lay eggs in, if given the opportunity.
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great tip thanks moving them home tonight
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Let us know how it went Jen. 
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Awsome, so excited! opened it back up last night and a few just crawled out
casually, this morning a few flying around so all seem good, yesterday we took our hive to a friends and he put one of his hives in (he let us use some of his existing brood frames, (which i guess helped them stay calm)we left it for the day in original spot and only a couple buzzing around when we went back last night, smoker sent them in and so far so good! Moved them about 10klms
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