First timer to almonds

[Johnny]

With out insulting me to bad, was wondering what to expect when taking hives to almond. This will be my first year. I only have 25 hives, 8 frame doubles. Im already working with a beebroker. I started keeping bees in 04 as a hobby never cared to rent out my hives. For some reason I got the bug in Jan 08, so I have to try it. Anyway I read your guys threads all the time. For some reason it doesnt sound fun. But I want to try it. Any recommendations? Words of wisdom? Any help? Thanks!

[alpha6]

Don't let the naysayers get you down. Listen to the broker...I am sure it will work out for you. One thing I would try and nail down is when you will be paid...this varies on the brokers...some pay right after the season and with others it may be into summer or towards the end. Make sure your equipment and bees are in good shape...nothing like lifting a pallet of bees and it dumps cause your pallet was rotted out. Oh and keep feeding your bees until they leave so they don't work the stores out which is all they will have when with the broker in the holding yards, though some will dump patties on for you but expect to pay for those. Good luck.

[odfrank]

You can expect to lose most of a nights sleep both coming and going. I helped a friend do a pickup full of hives years ago, never again. Maybe better for you, closer to the almonds. We came from the Bay Area. Hand load the hives at dusk, drive a few hours, hand unload the hives, maybe get stuck in the mud and stung a lot, drive home, maybe sleep a few hours. Recover in a few days. A few weeks later do it all over again.

[Tom G. Laury]

Life is made of memories why deny yourself?

[Tom G. Laury]

Make all your equipment just the same, bot brds, lids, boxes, etc. One of the keys to bees esp in Calif is the ability to move them without pain & trauma!?

Working easy is a valuable skill

Learn & figger out how to load and tie down. Straps or ropes. Flatbeds are easier than box Now you can start building some MEMORIES

[high rate of speed]

At the end of it all, you have alot of lumber with good and bad memories.

[Tom G. Laury]

Every picture tells a story

[Johnny]

Well, I cant wait to start building memories. Hopefully more good than bad.
thanks

[Mathispollenators]

Get a chiropractor because you gonna need him too. I can see it now and remember it then. Hand loading is hard work never want to do that again. It's easier to take them off a trailer than out the back of a pickup. Renting one would be worth it if you don't have one already. Never carried bees for almonds myself but there are other places the go. Always plan it's going to take a few more hours than what you thought moving the bees. I like to double check tie down straps on my trucks a few miles after I'm on the road too. We use the ratchet type and they seem to loosen on me alittle as the load settles in. And Make Sure You Got Your Paper Work I seem to be digging every time I hit the stations for the right sheet. Move them at night and if you stop park in a dark spot away from the lights. Most of this is stuff we have done for years but if you never did it you don't know.

Other than that nothing else from me. When you get out there on the road and think of something have your machine call mine and my machine will give you a call back number. So we can get into a game of phone tag.

[Johnny]

I do have a trailer, I asked a local beekeeper about using it, but I was told that he did not like using one because they bounce to much. Any thought on that?

[Mathispollenators]

I could see the thoughts on the bouncing but can't commit on it. I put them on our trailer all the time. But warning on what I do is I have a 24 ft gooseneck I pull that carries 120 hives at the time. So my trailer is heaver than what maybe you have. I still think I would rather take them off a trailer or flatbed truck than out the back of a pickup. I would say pay attention to others and pick our ideas for what works or may work best for you. If a trailer is out you maybe could get a flatbed rental truck. You are only moving 25 hives so it could happen in one trip. I can load 60 something hives on 4 way pallets on our ton truck with a 12 ft bed. And that is double hive bodies. Good luck with the move I'm intrested in how it works for you.

[Action]

They can be very bouncy, But hey, If that is what you have it is alot easer to load/unload then a truck if hand packing. Two people w/bottom boards is not to bad. 1 person from pallets (Open bottom)=no fun.Good luck and it really is not that bad. Just pray for no mud!
Jack