Moving hives

[greengumbo]

Okay - never moved national hives any distance before.

Tried tonight and they are ridiculous. Slipping and sliding and bees going everywhere even when rachet strapped down.

How do you all secure hives ? The small bumpy trailer didn't help but it was the lateral movement between brood boxes / supers etc that was the major issue. Will duck tape around the edged help ? Would you remove the overhanging roof and have a mesh flush with the top and sides ?

Lovely paradise beeboxes with lips performed admirably.

[The Drone Ranger]

Okay - never moved national hives any distance before.

Tried tonight and they are ridiculous. Slipping and sliding and bees going everywhere even when rachet strapped down.

How do you all secure hives ? The small bumpy trailer didn't help but it was the lateral movement between brood boxes / supers etc that was the major issue. Will duck tape around the edged help ? Would you remove the overhanging roof and have a mesh flush with the top and sides ?

Lovely paradise beeboxes with lips performed admirably.

You can get clips\wedges to join the boxes
http://www.thorne.co.uk/hardware-clothing/hive-hardware/moving?product_id=1747
With the Smith ones I just screw a little 2" square of ply on opposite sides
If its strap only I take the roof off tape over bee escapes and tighten down hard on the crown board with the strap
You can put the roof back on or use it to wedge the hive in the car

[gavin]

GG, I can now usually move bees with no fuss. I'm in the middle of doing so now.

1. Make a travel screen. For me it is 12mm ply, on one side a rim of 6x12mm timber tacked (or screwed) and glued on. I cut a square hole a bit less than half the width of the piece (which is 460mm of course, National size), then affix a mesh screen over the hole with screws or drawing pins. A mesh piece 460x460 is enough for four such screens.

2. Replace the crown board with the ply travel screen and strap it down with a ratchet strap. Roof off for this. Tighten until it pings musically :). Replace the roof for now and let them settle.

3. Sneak up on them when they are all in - take a water sprayer with you to shoo any in that are milling around the entrance. Use a foam strip pushed in swiftly with a hive tool, or rotate the entrance block and hold in place with duck tape.

4. Either take away immediately or early the next morning. Remove the roof to give maximum ventilation. Transport with frames fore and aft rather than across the direction of travel.

Some people use multiple straps. I only ever use one and if you tighten it well the boxes all hold together. You can even lift it by the strap if you want.

[Mellifera Crofter]

... Transport with frames fore and aft rather than across the direction of travel.

Some people use multiple straps. ...

I often use two straps - particularly after a mishap one evening when my husband, who was helping me, tried to push the hive further into the car by pushing on the brood box rather than the floor. Mayhem. I had to wear my hood driving home.

Good point about the direction of the frames, Gavin. I haven't thought about that before.

Kitta

[gavin]

I often use two straps - particularly after a mishap one evening when my husband, who was helping me, tried to push the hive further into the car by pushing on the brood box rather than the floor. Mayhem. I had to wear my hood driving home.

Good point about the direction of the frames, Gavin. I haven't thought about that before.

Kitta

Yes, I suppose I've learned over the years not to push (or to do so really carefully). Lifting and dragging is better. Frame slap, never a good thing. These lock slides DR mentioned work too. Being disorganised I never realised there was a template thing (thanks, C4U) that allowed you to put the screws in each box in exactly the same spot. Without that matching up boxes and floors becomes a nightmare.

As long as the ratchet strap is tight I (usually!) have no problems. I bought a job lot of them recently at £5.63, almost half the price of Screwfix.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00RGQ79LE/ref=pe_385721_37986871_TE_item

C4U uses a timber construction with full mesh rather than the quarter size piece in my ply version. Going without and just relying on a mesh floor is a risky business and it is your strongest colonies that suffer the most.

Did anyone hear me on Radio 5 Live about 7:25? Just after the snow patch guy :). It wasn't a long interview ...

[greengumbo]

Yes, I suppose I've learned over the years not to push (or to do so really carefully). Lifting and dragging is better. Frame slap, never a good thing. These lock slides DR mentioned work too. Being disorganised I never realised there was a template thing (thanks, C4U) that allowed you to put the screws in each box in exactly the same spot. Without that matching up boxes and floors becomes a nightmare.

As long as the ratchet strap is tight I (usually!) have no problems. I bought a job lot of them recently at £5.63, almost half the price of Screwfix.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00RGQ79LE/ref=pe_385721_37986871_TE_item

C4U uses a timber construction with full mesh rather than the quarter size piece in my ply version. Going without and just relying on a mesh floor is a risky business and it is your strongest colonies that suffer the most.

Did anyone hear me on Radio 5 Live about 7:25? Just after the snow patch guy :). It wasn't a long interview ...

Thanks all. In the cold light of morning I have realised a few basic mistakes I made. Ho hum. At least I gave it a bash ! I am going to go and re-try but first will get some mesh screens sorted and consolidate the hives into fewer boxes for travelling. The hives are on the clover for a few more days which if its sunny could mean another harvest as its filling up quick !

[chris]

it was the lateral movement between brood boxes / supers etc that was the major issue.
.

Top of box,in the middle of each of left and right sides, put a screw with the head sticking out about half a cm. Bottom of box to go on, drill holes about a cm. deep,very slightly wider than the heads of screws in the same positions.Screw heads go into holes and boxes sit flush with no sliding. Don't forget that screws are there when you decide to take off super.:o Like I did for a stack of Warré boxes.:o

[SDM]

The biggest mistakes I made were... Leaving the roofs on and having different height hives (some had been cleared , some hadn't)
Now with all poly hives its not such a problem as the brood box is locked to the floor and can't twist or move.

[gwizzie]

Hi Gav,

when you say
A mesh piece 460x460 is enough for four such screens. what mesh are you referring too, Varroa screen ?

[lindsay s]

Greengumbo see my post number 6 in the What next- Tilia lime? Thread. By the way the the two hives I moved to the clover have both filled two supers each. Although it's late we are having a good flow and good weather up here at the moment.:)

[Mellifera Crofter]

...
Did anyone hear me on Radio 5 Live about 7:25? Just after the snow patch guy :). It wasn't a long interview ...

No. You should have told us *before* the broadcast. Is it available as a podcast?
Kitta

[gavin]

No. You should have told us *before* the broadcast. Is it available as a podcast?
Kitta

Apparently yes it is. 1hr 24 min: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b064xcm4#play

[gavin]

Hi Gav,

when you say what mesh are you referring too, Varroa screen ?

Yes, that does the job fine. Something to let the air through but not the bees. One did sting me through the mesh tonight! I'll be handling it more carefully when it gets placed on a heather moor in the morning.

[SDM]

It's worth being sure that the straps are up to the job as well.
This year, 3 of us went together to the heather
And for one the trip was hell.( almost poetic)
All of his hives moved some and we noticed that as we tightened them, the hooks were stretching as was the strap. I use 316 stainless ratchets and books and a much heavier strap(still only 25mm) could probably crush a hive if you tried. They are for boat trailers and seem to last years even in constant salt and UV exposure.

[mbc]

Over lever straps win hands down for securing hives, ratchets just don't let you get that ping when testing tightness.

[fatshark]

Re. mesh screens ... (and I thought I got this advice from you GG?) ... I bought a big area of that plastic/fibreglass insect screen mesh and either a) staple it around the top edge of the box or b) simply hold it in place with an eke and ratchet the whole lot tight. I left the stuff on for a week or two after moving them and got a nice yield of propolis ;)

[Mellifera Crofter]

Apparently yes it is. 1hr 24 min: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b064xcm4#play

About two weeks later, Gavin, and I've finally listened to the short, but sweet 5 Live interview with you ... And it's still wet dricht up here.
Kitta