Really, probably any time. I think those things could survive a nuclear war, so I doubt it will phase them. Probably wouldn't even interfere with seeds maturing at this point, but if you want to harvest the seeds for any reason (you can use them as a spice or even sprout them for salads, by the way), you could wait a few more weeks.

In Zone 7, basically, I would think you could move them anytime between now and when they first begin to sprout in the spring, as long as the ground isn't frozen.

I agree; any time. If you're nervous, you could try dividing them, so that you don't have all your eggs in one basket. I tend to divide one well-established clump of chives or garlic chives into four to eight plants.

Once the divisions start to thrive in their new home, then you could give away any excess in the old bed.

i agree as well... probably couldn't kill them if you wanted to...

Ok thanks for all the advice. I will just take my time and move them in the next month or so...

Yes, garlic chives are tough, you can moved them anywhere any time. But from your post, I sense that you may not make much use of your chives. For example, you probably should not let the chive flowers go to seeds. You ought to pinch them from below the plants, cut them into one to two inches long, and cook (stir fried) them with sliced meat or dried tou-fu. They are delicious. In early spring,the chives green are very tender, you can cut them down to the ground, and stir fried them like other greens. Both chive green and flowers (before the blooms opened, when they are still tender) are typically sold in oriental groceries for about $2 to $3 per lbs year round. Chinese chives are not used like American chives, it is used as greens rather than an herb for soup garnishing only.

homegro, I cook with the chives regularly since I grew up eating it in various asian dishes. I always let my flowers go to seed though. Except for the whole more chives popping up next year thing, does this actually decrease the vigor of the chive clump?

My experience with letting the flowers go to seeds was that they will scattered around and soon sprout into tiny chives, they are like weeds, messy and hard to get rid of. I think letting them go to seeds will also decrease the vigor of the chive clumps, just like the flowers of onions and leeks do to their mother plants if you let them go to seeds. But chive flowers are so tender and delicious, why not pinch them (the stems, buds and all) up and cook them instead of letting them go to seeds? This will avoid both problems -- messy seedlings and decreased vigor.