Moving your Bee's

[gwizzie]

Hi everyone, I have been given access to an apple orchard for this year which I am very happy about BUT the gentleman that owns it says there is an access problem!!
There are two ways into the field but one you CAN'T get a 4x4 or anything else in but on foot and its about 1 km walk :(
The other access point is very bumpy but he can get the bees down to the field for me with this tractor and his trailer, now my question is to you guys that move your bees over bumpy ground is there anything I should do before loading on to this trailer ?
wedge the frames so that they don't move ect ?

I look forward to reading your replies

[Calum]

just cage the queen. and use ratchet straps to keep the hive(s) together and from falling over.
but in all honesty, I would not bother. You have to get supers full of honey out again (trust me leaking supers are not fun to in the car, or to process), and drag feed to them, and everything else.
Fur to much faff.
The bees will fly 1km to his orchard (unless they get a better offer), the excersice and fresh air will do them good!

[gavin]

Never mind 1 km, my long term apiary (in a very nice ancient orchard) is about 100m from vehicle to bees. It is a lovely site and in the drier summer months I can drive right in to lift hives for the heather flit. It is a struggle getting supers out and spare boxes in if it is wet.

For some reason all the new sites I started last year had fairly close vehicle access. I would need a lot of convincing to go back to 100m, 1 km is right out!

[prakel]

As someone who has, genuinely, carried a dadant brood complete with full set of bees and roof over a distance of approx 1km (and carried five frame bs nucs in wooden boxes considerably further) I can agree that it's not an easy job....but it is doable. Time consuming of course.

Force of circumstances of course. But I'm a strong believer in Norman Rice's advice not to let a lack of the proper equipment get in the way of a good idea.

[Feckless Drone]

Don't do it. Just hassle and will remove any enjoyment from your beeking lugging equipment and bees and honey around the place.

[fatshark]

Despite having the most advanced one wheel drive (http://www.sbai.org.uk/sbai_forum/showthread.php?986-Buster-Gonad-the-wheelbarrow-thread) hive barrow I wouldn't dream of shifting colonies a kilometre.

Unless I'd saved up for one of these ...

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... and there was loads of forage once the apples went over

;)

[Calluna4u]

Hi everyone, I have been given access to an apple orchard for this year which I am very happy about BUT the gentleman that owns it says there is an access problem!!
There are two ways into the field but one you CAN'T get a 4x4 or anything else in but on foot and its about 1 km walk :(
The other access point is very bumpy but he can get the bees down to the field for me with this tractor and his trailer, now my question is to you guys that move your bees over bumpy ground is there anything I should do before loading on to this trailer ?
wedge the frames so that they don't move ect ?

I look forward to reading your replies

From our communications recently you are intending to get to the point where you are commercial. To get to that point you need to be at least superficially efficient.

There is no way taking on that place could be deemed efficient. If you cannot drive right up to where the bees are then you need to look elsewhere. Bee heaven it might be, but beekeeper hell, and will ensure that you will very soon get a better option.

Look for places you think are good for bees, swallow your reticence, and go knock on relevant doors. the reception these days is generally more favourable than it used to be, just so long as you are respectful of the safety and convenience of the owners and do not impede in anyway their operations on their land. Be respectful of the presence of other beekeepers large or small on the land too. No need to make enemies.

[Neils]

Agree with all the sentiments expressed so far. I had bees 1-200m away from the closest you could get a car to (oh to have had the Landrover then) and it was a literal pain moving supers of honey from hive to car. All my sites currently are no more than 10m of walkable ground to the back of the car and now I'm out in the countryside it is a key consideration for me when I get offered sites.

[The Drone Ranger]

I thought you already had a bad back gwizzie ? :)

[prakel]

I thought you already had a bad back gwizzie ? :)

To be fair, his question was actually about how best to load the hives, safely, on a tractor pulled trailer. Not how to carry them for a km.... apparently, only mad men who've spent their lives lifting throwing and wrestling awkard and heavy objects for fun do that sort of thing :).

[gwizzie]

To be fair, his question was actually about how best to load the hives, safely, on a tractor pulled trailer. Not how to carry them for a km.... apparently, only mad men who've spent their lives lifting throwing and wrestling awkard and heavy objects for fun do that sort of thing :).

Hi Parkel, thank you for reading my post in full, YES you are totally correct!!!


There are two ways into the field but one you CAN'T get a 4x4 or anything else in but on foot and its about 1 km walk

and


The other access point is very bumpy but he can get the bees down to the field for me with this tractor and his trailer, now my question is to you guys that move your bees over bumpy ground is there anything I should do before loading on to this trailer ?
wedge the frames so that they don't move ect ?

Thanks for all that have answered the first part of this TWO part post I know I'm mad but not that mad to try and carry a hive 1km :rolleyes: lol
But if you have anything else that you would like to add to the second part of my question then please please do ;)

[Calluna4u]

Maybe I was not specific enough.

Getting the bees in on a trailer helped by the farmer is fine. I meant the gross inconvenience of trying to work the bees there when you CANT get a tractor and trailer...or was there one going to be available each management visit?

[gwizzie]

Maybe I was not specific enough.

Getting the bees in on a trailer helped by the farmer is fine. I meant the gross inconvenience of trying to work the bees there when you CANT get a tractor and trailer...or was there one going to be available each management visit?

I think that one will be available to me if I need to put one extra suppers or remove them and the hives when the time comes. Any other time if its just a visit to see how there doing then a good walk i'm sure will do me good :D

[Mellifera Crofter]

... if its just a visit to see how there doing then a good walk i'm sure will do me good :D

Don't forget your hive tool in your car!

I think it might help if you keep enough extra hives and frames at the site to take care of things that might need immediate attention, such as bees planning to swarm.

Kitta

[The Drone Ranger]

Fair enough
Well the only solution I think is have the farmer take all the hives empty to the site and take the bees on foot
A 2.5kg package of bees should not be too heavy if you carry them in a Tesco's bag or similar
Job done

I have a hyena a monkey and a bag of nuts to get over a river I can only get one of them in my boat at a time what can I do ?


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[Mellifera Crofter]

...

I have a hyena a monkey and a bag of nuts to get over a river I can only get one of them in my boat at a time what can I do ?


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You only need to make one extra trip to get your cargo across the river, DR - but if I had to trek a kilometre to get to my apiary, I know I shall be unfortunate enough to have to trek that distance many, many times to get this of that that I might have forgotten.

[The Drone Ranger]

You only need to make one extra trip to get your cargo across the river, DR - but if I had to trek a kilometre to get to my apiary, I know I shall be unfortunate enough to have to trek that distance many, many times to get this of that that I might have forgotten.

Hi Kitta
You are right :)
Some problems are difficult but have a solution
Others not so much
Sorry to hear about your hives floating off like that
I am trying to bring a few mininucs through so if you need replacement queens or something just PM
I am doing some frame building with Wendy next weekend I will tell her what you have had to deal with
John

[gwizzie]

A 2.5kg package of bees should not be too heavy if you carry them in a Tesco's bag or similar
Job done

Have you seen the price of carrier bags these days LOL :p

[alclosier]

Also bags for life are better ;)

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[Mellifera Crofter]

Hi Kitta
... Sorry to hear about your hives floating off like that ... so if you need replacement queens or something just PM ...

Thanks John. You're the second offer of help should I need queens in the spring. The bees in all of my Kon-Tiki hives seem very happy - so I'm hoping for the best.

As for Gwizzie's orchard apiary, a kilometre trek seems nothing compared to tending the bees in this apiary in Shennongjia Nature Reserve (but I think you've all seen photos of this apiary before):

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[gwizzie]

As for Gwizzie's orchard apiary, a kilometre trek

Everyone seems to be fixated by this ??? As I have said this is one way into the orchard.

The other access point is very bumpy but he can get the bees down to the field for me with this tractor and his trailer. This will be the main way in BUT I have to do a reckey yet to see what it entails :)

Nice picture never seen that one before :D

[Mellifera Crofter]

....
The other access point is very bumpy but he can get the bees down to the field for me with this tractor and his trailer. ...

Yes, Gwizzie, we understood that. We're talking about the kilometre's walk for the weekly inspections, and the possibility of having to walk back and forth a few times per visit. The farmer won't be on standby to help you out - but if you're happy to give it a try, then that's all that matters.
Kitta

[The Drone Ranger]

Oh No!!
I think I've left that monkey on the other bank with my bag of peanuts!
How did that happen ??

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[gwizzie]

Oh No!!
I think I've left that monkey on the other bank with my bag of peanuts!
How did that happen ??

2557

You older guys crack me up LOL have you not seen these ????

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[Mellifera Crofter]

You older guys crack me up LOL have you not seen these ????


Too late. No more peanuts.