Beesource Beekeeping Forums banner

Building Commercial Migratory Pallets, with Pallet Plans

51K views 67 replies 23 participants last post by  Fusion_power 
#1 ·
All:

I have seen a lot of requests on this forum for pallet plans. I have cobbled together historic info from BeeSource and some practical learning from beekeepers. The blog entry I put together (and the associated vid) are pretty dumbed down for amateur woodworking folks as I get lots of (and repeated) questions on dimensions/sequencing/etc. but here it is in all its glory:
http://dchoneybees.blogspot.com/2013/01/commercial-migratory-pallet-design.html

I await the comments from the gallery!

Jeff.
 
#38 ·
Chip I use the stealply love it but as you say getting harder to find even in Texas,noticed where some was using AdvanTech flooring which is in 4x8 sheet but cost around $30 per sheet lot more then the 25 cents ft for the used steelply.Dont know how this stuff would hold up ,maybe if someone has used it they could comment on it
 
#40 ·
Side to Side works great for us with all U hives. I like my boxes and lids perfectly on when strapped. We use ratchet straps on white rope(rope used for pulling cables). A bit of sewing skills + chinese ratchets and you could make quite a bit of them.
 
#44 ·
Is anyone able to find 1"x6" lumber that has a treatment designed to protect them from direct contact with the ground? All we can find is 2" lumber with a below grade exposure rating.
 
#45 ·
Ain't that the truth!! And it always seems it's the good pallet you trash instead of the one that's rotten anyway! Keith what kind of pot do you heat the paraffin in? I'd guess that just getting the top side sealed would solve most problems. Also, straight paraffin or some mix? Thanks. Chip
 
#49 ·
No, Jim, I buy the pallets already made from used pallet co fresno,CA 559-260-7705 for $14 all put together clips & all. I paint boxes ONE time. It's a little slower than just painting but, your wooden ware will last 30-50 years IF the forklift doesn't get it to them first.:)
 
#50 ·
Thanks Keith, I'm going to give this a try--should solve the rot problem. I can see how I might modify some stuff here to make it work for me. I use cypress to elevate the hives on the plywood and treated lumber beneath so I'm going to just coat the top and sides of the plywood. I'll have to look into an inexpensive source for wax. Since I lease my bees out in winter, this is my "repair and get ready" season; I'll start removing the old rotten pallet tops tomorrow!
 
#56 ·
Keith,
Here is the pics of my pallet/hive box wax dipping tank, decided to go with steel instead of SS to save on cost since it is wax coated anyways! Also have steel channel welded on bottom for my forks to fit in for easy moving of tank and I plan on insulating like you did, great idea! :D
Tank is 42"x42"x18"


http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s545/mike_hicks3/0412021830b_zps0f2bd665.jpg

http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s545/mike_hicks3/0412021830a_zps3c73d4d2.jpg

http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s545/mike_hicks3/0412021830_zps39375d36.jpg

http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s545/mike_hicks3/0412021829_zps0645034c.jpg

http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s545/mike_hicks3/picture0018_zpsefcce116.jpg
 
#57 ·
Menards still sells 1x6 treated lumber.
I have heard that a bunch of all this construction " stuff " is a getting shipped back east at a record pace!
Even with using treated lumber every thing still gets dipped in the tank & left to dry for a good many weeks before use.
 
#63 ·
I know this is an older thread, but it made me curious about the feasibility of designing lighter weight hives in order to get more colonies on a truck to ship to almonds. The general range for a truck load of bees is about 400 colonies. Using materials lighter than wood and designing a custom hive, it should be possible to reduce hive weight about 20% plus there would be a benefit from better space utilization. This would permit an additional 200 colonies of bees to be shipped in a single load.

So has anyone looked into the logistics of using lighter weight construction materials?
 
#67 · (Edited)
Take this to the extreme and you would have something like a pollinator unit which would be a formed polyisocyanurate container with wood strips for comb supports. Bees would be dumped into it along with a queen and 3 months later it would be shipped to a pollination location. This is the ultimate in cheap and portable... and disposable because it would be useless at the end of pollination. I have trouble with this concept because it is strictly throw away.

Jim, the problem - as you aptly put it - is that a material lighter than wood yet with similar durability and price would have to be used. The materials I know of that are lighter lose durability. Even using lighter wood is a problem since lighter weight wood is not as strong. A styrofoam hive for example would require an elaborate support system on the truck pretty much defeating the purpose of using styrofoam. Think of it as a shipping container full of styrofoam beehives. It could be done, but I don't think it could be made to meet all the other objectives required.

I also see a problem with the size and shape of a Langstroth hive. I don't see a way to get maximum compactness using Lang deep frames. There is one thing that would help. Using higher R value material for the sides would get brood laid all the way to the walls instead of leaving a frame on each side empty.

Jim, given your knowledge of shipping for pollination, how many total Langstroth deep frames would be in a colony? I see you mentioned shipping singles but that seems to be a problem. I see mention of shipping doubles, but that too seems to be an issue. How many frames of bees do you really need to be able to ship to get a good pollination colony?
 
#68 ·
I found a solution that would get 840 colonies on a truck and still be within weight limits. The "pallets" would be tubular steel shipping cages. The hives would be formed polyisocyanurate with a thick UV tolerant plastic shell. This would drastically reduce per hive weight. Each "pallet" would hold 6 hives in a 2 X 3 layout. The configuration would put 140 colonies per layer with 6 total layers on the truck for a total of 840 colonies.

Langstroth frames can't be fitted to this type system, you would have to convert to Dadant depth 11 1/4 inch deep frames. Each hive on a pallet would be 20 inches square by 16 inches high external measurements including the pallet. There would be dramatic differences in management style required but there would also be advantages such as designing a feeder into the top of the hive.

The big advantage would be pollination fees which would go up to $126,000 collected per truck load calculated at 840 colonies with $150 fee per.

The underlying problems that had to be solved included how to increase the volume of each hive without sacrificing brood space or honey storage space. A standard Langstroth 10 frame box happens to be very inefficient when considered from this perspective. Each hive has to have two boxes to be a fully viable pollination unit. But when Dadant 11 1/4 inch deep frames are considered and put into a square hive, the numbers start to work. A square Dadant depth hive is 30% more space efficient than two Langstroth deeps. This enables the higher density. Then there is the weight problem. Put 840 wooden hives onto a truck and it would be way over the weight limit. But by using plastics, the weight of the hives can be cut nearly in half.

So tell me what you think, would it be worth the effort of converting everything you have into a modular hive system that permits 30% more hives per load? The cost would be about $84,000 per 840 hives or $100 per colony which does not include cost of bees to stock the hives. The hives should have a viable life span of about 20 years or a cost basis of $5 per year.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top