![]() I heard about a misinformed new beekeeper, not too far from Nairnshire, who was recently advised that you don’t need to shut bees in as they don’t come out of the hive on the journey. Often some are underneath the hive when you shut the entrance so they will appear in your vehicle during the journey if you haven’t checked and removed them. If bees do escape from the hive they usually gravitate to the window rather than fly round in a frenzy over your head. I don’t drive in my beesuit but I have it handy, and a spare one should I need help on the journey. A hapless hobbyist near here lost a couple of colonies off the back of his truck moving to the OSR a few years ago. Public Safety.Īccidents happen and we have all read about the big trucks in the US spilling a load of hives on the highway. Jane starts her day really early so is happy to help move bees first thing in the morning.Įvery beekeeper needs to work out the best way to reduce risk for themselves. I’ve enlisted the help of one of my stalwart bee buddies (see above) to help with lifting and logistics. There is always a risk to the beekeeper of back damage when moving hives so I have transferred the colonies into poly hives and used the trolley to move from apiary to car. Ideally the entrance is blocked with wire mesh but I’ve used foam sponge and Gorilla tape to block this entrance. ![]() Two straps firmly ratcheted onto the sides of the hive holds the boxes together safely and the hives may be lifted holding the straps. If you douse them in water they overheat trying to dry off and warm up again in the process. However, don’t overdo it and a gentle misting is good. You can spray a little through the travel screen stopping a few times on a long journey. Thirst.īees can get very thirsty on a journey and having a water spray with fresh water is essential on a journey longer than half an hour. In this lateral position the frames might concertina together during a sudden stop crushing perhaps the precious queen. This is because if the vehicle has to make a sudden stop the frames will not concertina together crushing bees if there are any gaps between them. The hives need to be placed with the frames aligned longtidudinally and top bars pointing in the direction of travel. Frames running longtidudinally in the direction of travel If you have an open mesh floor it is best if you can raise the floor up slightly so that it is not flush with the bed of your truck or car boot/trunk and air can circulate. Travel screen.Ī travel screen replaces the crown board/cover board and roof for the journey allowing for much better ventilation. Early morning works well too in some situations. If you are traveling far then the risk increases but it can be mitigated by giving plenty space such as placing an empty shallow box on top of the super, or, if there is no super, placing it on top of the brood box.īy closing the entrance after the colony has finished flying for the day, the bees can be transported in the cool of the evening. A colony can suffocate in a very short time without adequate ventilation. They don’t like vibrations and you cannot take them anywhere without causing some but this also increases stress. This is because as soon as honey bees are confined by having the front entrance blocked they panic and struggle to get out which generates more heat. The biggest risk to the colony is overheating, even on a cool day. Planning ahead is key to success and organising a team of helpers improves the chances of a smooth transit and reduces the risk to bees, beekeeper and the public road users.įirstly, the bees must be healthy and disease free if they are to be moved anywhere, unless of course it is to your isolated quarantine/hospital apiary far away from healthy colonies. If you consider the risks and everything that can potentially go wrong and if you minimise them then it usually goes very smoothly. Many hobby beekeepers have never had to move bees before and it can feel like quite a daunting task the first time you do it.
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