almond pollination

[bee_wrangler]

How manny hives can you get on the average semi trailer going to the almonds. This is assuming 4 way pallets with migratory lids.

Dan

[the buzz]

You can place 26 pallets per level x 3 levels x 4 per pallet = 312 you are better to place 1 cover on the 4 hives on the pallet more stable.

Stephen

[Tom G. Laury]

It all depends on the weight of the bees and capacity of the truck. It's possible to overload a truck with 384 colonies. If they are light you can put 512. Sometimes the problem is they gain weight then you can't send home the same load that came out. Not much savings there.

[SCFarms]

That would depend on weight, if you’re running 8 frame or 10 frame hives, if you’re running double deep or deep and a half to how high you stack them and still be legal, and the length of you semi trailer(s).

I run 10 frame double deep colonies and when I ship them it is on a 48’ flatbed trailer and by stacking them three high I can fit 408 hives. You just have to do the math for our self based on our own operation to see what you can fit.

[tecumseh]

just an aside question somewhat related to bwrangler's question...

in the number posted are these numbers singles, doubles or story and a half?

[jim lyon]

With freight rates where they are now I look at it more as a weight issue. Most trucks now can carry 47 to 48 thousand pounds and a good hauler can look at his air gauges and make a pretty close guess. For us the days of 408 are long past. We typically haul about half singles and half doubles (all 10 frame deeps) getting them only heavy enough to get through a couple of months in Cal. before we will begin feeding and supplementing out there. Any hives that dwindle are just combined with another single. Last year we averaged about 550 per load doing this. Just remember that you can buy feed out there, it just dosen't make a lot of sense to ship a lot of syrup weight at a time, seasonally, when the bees don't use much feed. One more tip is to leave a little slack in the net (usually in the back as we normally leave the front row empty) so that the net can easily be pulled up to take a few pallets off after scaling if the truck is heavy. We always say load them up then begin negotiating. Never had a problem with bees coming out of the almonds heavier then they went in.

[Gregg]

My hives that I ship are all story and a half (1 deep + 1 medium box, 10 frame equipment) and I can typically get 480 - 512 hives on a semi, all depends on the weight. Our truckers use step deck beds; 480 hives has an empty row on the back of the truck (8 stacks of 3 pallets high on the step deck = 96 hives & 24 stacks of 4 pallets high on the lower part of the bed = 384 hives). 488 hives has an empty row on the front (6 stacks of 3 pallets high on the step deck = 72 hives & 26 stacks of 4 pallets high on the rest = 416 hives). 512 hives uses the entire truck bed, no empty rows (8 stacks of 3 pallets high on the step deck = 96 hives & 26 stacks of 4 pallets high on the rest = 416 hives).

A load of double deeps is typically 408 hives, 34 stacks of 3 pallets high over the whole bed of the truck.

[the buzz]

what type of covers do you use? migratory? or 1 cover for 4 hives? any pictures of pallet designs ? I'm trying to find a better way to ship them

[Gregg]

I use migratory covers. Dimensions of pallets I use are 47 inches (length of three 2 x 4s) by 33 inches (width, use 1 x 6 runners). Mann Lake has a picture of their pallet on their website, very similar to mine.

[florida pollinator]

Make moving alot of bees easy, go with 6 way pallets. Some of the best wood for lids is the concrete form plywood,1/2 , 5/8s or 3/4 inch pieces ,you have to cut it. I have a number for a shop in Atlanta. Aluma systems is one company that has it ,which it comes off used forms.
They have shops in Tx, Chicago and Atlanta to name a few. If your in Florida there's a beekeeper in Lakeland that sells it, and someone in texas from this forum that sells it.

[suttonbeeman]

Jim
last year I fed bees t about 60 % bloom.....then it got hot and they picked up alot of weight......ended up over weigth coming back home and colonies were actually honey bound. located near chowchilla ca in a young orchard and flow seemed to hit toward end of bloom.

[loggermike]

I know my 1 ton flatbeds were dragging coming out of almonds last year.
That reminds me of a buddy who used to get pulled over by the cops every time he went through town with an overload of firewood on his 1 ton.He asked the patrolman one day how they always knew when he had too much weight on. The cop said "EZ- your mudflaps are dragging"
I asked my buddy what he did about it .He said " I cut the flaps shorter"

[jim lyon]

Sorry guys didn't exactly make myself clear. I meant from the time they are shipped here in SD in Nov. they are always heavier than when they come out of Almonds in Mid March. Certainly they are heavier in Mid March than early February.

[Tom G. Laury]

Looookinnnn goooodd!!!!

[loggermike]

>>Certainly they are heavier in Mid March than early February.
It seemed to me that the bees were really burning through the stores this Feb.The bloom was taking so long to come on that we were feeding lots more than normal.They did load up pretty fast once it bloomed.
I don't know the long range forecast for this winter,but we have the first real rain storm of the season coming tomorrow.Our Fall flow of C and H and Brewtech (along with some rabbitbrush)will be winding down shortly.

[BEES4U]

I have checked several weather reports and none of them say how much rain to expect.
Perhaps your area is more detailed in the rain fall prediction.
Please let me know.
Ernie

[loggermike]

Ernie,Heres the one I use the most:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/product.php?...n=1&glossary=1
They are saying 1 to 3 inches here in the mountains,less in the Valley.
The best indicator of imminent rain in the summer is when I see my neighbors cut their hay

[MadBowbee]

Keith, when you say C & H, you mean pure cane sugar right? How do you like it? I heard you can get tankers out of Oakland of that stuff. I'm thinking of switching from liquid sugar to that.

[jim lyon]

A little off thread here but after spending about 6 grand this year on my Ford tonner on all the things that break when you abuse them like most beekeepers do I decided that your better off spending a few thousand more and getting a 450/550 with a 14' bed. I've got 80,000 miles on one and haven't had any of those issues and of course we occasionaly overload that too but they sure seem like a nice compromise between a heavy duty dually pickup and a two ton.

Hope the sky opens up out there and you get some real moisture.

[Keith Jarrett]

MBB,

I was just LOL at loggermike's post, because I do the same thing.