Secure hives together and/or to a heavy object & strap hives down. You will need ratchet straps or rope and ground anchors (e.g., fence post/star pickets) to secure your hive. Securing the hives with ratchet straps or rope will help to keep it in one place and one piece. Consider securing the hives both horizontally and vertically, and securing them all together if you have multiple hives

Impacts of Cyclones on Beekeepers in the South Pacific

Beekeeping news /

Cyclones can cause strong winds that can push bee hives over and cause flash flooding which can wash bees away.

Cyclones also impact on available food resources for bees (flowering trees).

Being prepared and knowing what to do following a storm can help to reduce the impact cyclones for beekeepers and their bees.

Experience in Fiji suggests that the main difference between losing only 10-20% of bee colonies and losing 70% or more was whether the beekeeper roped or strapped the hives so that the hive bottom, boxes and lid all stayed together with the frames inside.

During Cyclone Winston we learned that almost all the hives in the hardest hit areas topple over. The main difference between losing only 10% or 20% of bee colonies and losing 70% or more was whether the beekeeper roped or strapped the hives so that the hive bottom, boxes and lid all stayed together with the frames inside.
During Cyclone Winston we learned that almost all the hives in the hardest hit areas topple over. The main difference between losing only 10% or 20% of bee colonies and losing 70% or more was whether the beekeeper roped or strapped the hives so that the hive bottom, boxes and lid all stayed together with the frames inside. Photo: John Caldera

The hives will topple over, but can be lifted upright shortly after the cyclone and later put back on a hive stand. Without a rope around the hive, the frames will likely be scattered outside the boxes and the bees lost.

During Cyclone Winston we learned that almost all the hives in the hardest hit areas topple over. The main difference between losing only 10% or 20% of bee colonies and losing 70% or more was whether the beekeeper roped or strapped the hives so that the hive bottom, boxes and lid all stayed together with the frames inside.
During Cyclone Winston we learned that almost all the hives in the hardest hit areas topple over. The main difference between losing only 10% or 20% of bee colonies and losing 70% or more was whether the beekeeper roped or strapped the hives so that the hive bottom, boxes and lid all stayed together with the frames inside. Photo: John Caldera

A stable hive stand and not having hives too far off the ground will also help.

There are more elaborate and better ways to protect hives, but a rope (or two) cinched around the hive is a cheap solution that worked well in past cyclone events.