Moving Hives

Hi, Anybody out there got a good system for moving a hive by yourself, with no helpers, and just a pickup truck. My hives are two deep boxes.

I usually put a piece of rolled screen in the entrance, and use a cargo strap, the kind with the ratcheting lever to tighten it up, and then I grunt and strain and wrestle it up into the truck. OUCH! Next year I am going to make a swing arm wench with a crank handle and attach it to the corner of the truck.

If I'm moving one of several hives that are in the same location by myself, I just go out in the middle of the afternoon and take it apart and load it a box at a time. If you have a spare bottom board put it down first, or sometimes I use a scrap of plywood cut to fit a hive. I put the scrap that will be the bottom down first, on top of a hive strap. Stack them all on top of that in the order I come to them (so they end up in reverse order) and strap it down. When I get there I unstack in in the order I come to them and they are back in the orginal order. Of course all of the field bees that were out come back, don't find their hive, a move into one of my other hives. It's not perfect, but it works ok. It weakens the one you're moving a little. If you don't have other hives there, then put your truck or trailer as close as you can to the existing hive. Load it as I just said except with a regular bottom board. Let the bees come home for the night. After dark close it up and drive it as close as you can to the new location. Open the entrance. Wait for morning. When the bees are flying in the morning you can take it out a box at a time and set it up there. I've done both of these with good success.

Frohnho - pick up or borrow a small refrig. type hand dolly - seal the entrance to the hive with screen wire,. strap the hive and then strap to dolly. Lay two, two by six board onto the pickup and merely wheel the hive into the bed. I usually seal the hive entrance with the screening the night before I plan to move the hives. Never have a p[roblem. Roy