What's the Best Way to Move a Hive Up a Ladder?

[Charlie B]

Anyone ever have to break down a hive and carry the individual boxes up to a roof on a ladder and re-assemble? What's the best way to do it? Thanks.

[odfrank]

I quit keeping bees on rooftops when I had to lower down an 800lb crop in 1975. Even with three friends and only one story it was a hassle. We parked a truck under, and put the ladder on the truck bed, handed the boxes to a guy on the lower part of the ladder.

[Acebird]

Anyone ever have to break down a hive and carry the individual boxes up to a roof on a ladder and re-assemble? What's the best way to do it? Thanks.

Rent a ladder jack. You might be able to take up the whole hive at once.

I'm sorry it is called a pump jack.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...1359_200321359

[odfrank]

Or a Material Lift

http://www.google.com/search?q=mater...w=1024&bih=617

[AmericasBeekeeper]

strap it on like a backpack

[mrqb]

first i would need to know just how high are you talkin,12-20 ft. or 3 stories or so ?

[lakebilly]

You may be able to find a pulley that mounts to top of ladder a swivels out & back over roof. Ratchet strap & pull it up. we used one 30 years ago I haven't seen one since, great pc of equipment. I have one that mounts to mason scaffolding. good luck.

[Corvair68]

Find that guy in your neighborhood that will do anything for a case of beer and make him do it for you. Unless you are that guy... then your out of luck.

[Charlie B]

first i would need to know just how high are you talkin,12-20 ft. or 3 stories or so ?

It's about 12 feet up on a garden nursery office roof. I was thinking I could just strap the bottom board to the first brood box, carry it up and come back down and make single trips with the other two boxes and let the bees just deal with the temporary box separation. They're all medium boxes, two brood and one super.

[WI-beek]

I like post 7 amd 8. If 8 fails go for the ladder pulley. We used these to haul bundles of shingles up two and even three story houses in old parts of town where you could not get a boom truck. The work really well. One man can pull them up easy from ground or let them down. If letting them down make sure the guy weighs more than the box of honey, LOL!

[Michael Bush]

The only thing worse than hauling empty or half empty equipment up a ladder is hauling full supers down. Keeping your balance is really difficult. There is no place to put the weight because the ladder is in the way and if you turn around facing out, the weight is too far forward... It is scary.

[Joseph Clemens]

When I was ten, my first hives were on top of our sturdy wooden garden shed. I had deep brood supers and used medium supers for honey - I brought my honey crop down, one frame at a time. The only way I could move the honey supers in order to examine the brood supers was to have an empty honey super and move the frames one at a time into the empty box, then I could move the empty honey supers off of the brood supers and do my examining. Then I would reverse the process. Similarly I had the empty honey super down below and brought the honey crop down, one frame at a time - worked just fine.

I'd go with moving one piece of gear at a time, if the equipment is occupied, I'd move it one empty super and one frame at a time, like I did when I was ten. It may take longer, but it is much safer, unless bees bother you, and if by chance you were stung while climbing the ladder, would you behave in an unsafe manner.

I was, and still am, the only beekeeper in my family and I'm 45 years older now, I use almost exclusively, 8-frame, medium equipment and have many roofs available to me, but I have no hives on them, today.

[sqkcrk]

If letting them down make sure the guy weighs more than the box of honey, LOL!

Isn't there a Laurel and Hardy film clip about this? Or someone? Except they are trying to get a barrel of bricks up to the top of a building? Maybe it was Charlie Chaplin?

[sqkcrk]

What's the best way to do it?

Build an EarthBermed house.

Are you just curious about the idea? Or are you really going to do this? Why? Bears in San Fran? No yard space?