Requesting advice on long-distance hive relocation

[OzarkBee]

I could use any tips/advice on permanently moving 4-hives via pickup truck over several hundred miles. I have official inspection/health-certifs from the state I'm leaving as well as permits from the state I'm moving to, so paperwork is covered.

I plan to load the hives in the evening (locals afternoon highs probably low 90's) drive at night about 7hrs, then get up early and do the last 6hrs of the journey before the heat of the day (temps likely mid-80's). Have ventilated inner covers to put under the telescoping covers. Will cover the hive entrances with tacked-down mesh and use racheting tie-down to keep each hive together, then other tie downs to keep them stable in the truck.

Any other advice to keep my bees alive and healthy and being safe for this journey? Thank you in advance.

[beepro]

Do you rachet tie these hives down on to a pallet too? I'm thinking it is more secure without
them shifting much. And if you have another driver then each can rotate to sleep without
stopping much. This way you can start moving out before the sun goes down after the bees
returned home.

[beehonest]

Dont trust the ratcheting straps alone, you hit a bump it will shift. You will keep driving and notice at the stoplight half that hive is gone. Don't ask how I know. I take couple pieces of fence board, one on each side and screw the hive boddies together a couple screws in each super will do. When you get there and take them apart put a little silicone on the screw holes. Or you could go with the hive staples.You should be fine with screened inner covers, I just had regular inners and screened bottoms. I have been from TN to NC and SC to TN with four on the back of a pickup. I would still throw the straps on there to hold the covers on. Some of those boogers stay out late, I have been out at 10 O clock at night and still have some comming in.

[OzarkBee]

Thank you both for good ideas - esp about using a strip of board and screws to secure the hives together better! Two more questions: WATER: I read on another forum something about giving bees in transport water. Will they need water in 20 hours or so locked in their hive? LEFT-BEHIND BEES: will the bees who miss the train (who are out foraging when I leave) be aggressive with the new property owners since they have no hive to return to? (Saw this on a forum about aggressive bees from commercial bee transport trucks.) Thanks in advance!

[jim lyon]

Several hundred miles in over 13 hours? Ideally you can make it an all nighter. That last 7 hour morning stretch could get pretty dicey if the forecast is for warm temps.

[Gambit]

Ozark read this and learn from my mistakes that I just made this past weekend.

http://www.beesource.com/forums/show...did-I-do-wrong

[beepro]

If the outside temp in the low 90s then inside the hive is even hotter with so many bees all
cooped up.
Yes, at this time of days without proper ventilation your bees will melt inside those hot hives.
You did not say how many are stack up on top of each other. Stacking them up with so many
bees will make ventilation to almost nil. Many will die if no airflow inside these hives.
To ensure proper ventilation I would put a screen cover on the top and the bottom of each hive.
So for 4 hives that is 8 ventilation screens made from wood strips and window screen will be fine.
Also to provide shade for all of them during the long transport. If you have 2 people then one can
spray water onto the screen occasionally. They do take a sip often with so many bees inside in this hot weather.

[OzarkBee]

Ozark read this and learn from my mistakes that I just made this past weekend.

http://www.beesource.com/forums/show...did-I-do-wrong

Thank you for sharing that Gambit. I have a whole crop of new worries now! :-) But very VERY valuable info.

I have ventilated top screens and screened bottom boards (that usually go under the telescoping cover). When folks in that thread mentioned "full screen tops" am I to understand this means there is no top over the screen and the top is open except for the screen?

[OzarkBee]

TimB shared helpful info on other thread:

This thread is located at:
http://www.beesource.com/forums/show...g&goto=newpost

Here is the message that has just been posted:
***************
I leave them wide open over the top screen. I bend a 3 inch strip of hardware cloth and slide it in the entrance, place an empty super w/o frames above whatever boxes the bees are already working, then a full screen on the top. I strap that together with a ratchet tied down. I primarily do this when the weather is 85-90 or warmer and/if they will be shut up for more than a few hours. (for short local moves I close the entrance and move) In some cases I'll do the same but instead of a full screen on the top I'll staple a screen over the hole in the inner cover and transport without outer lid. Most of the time this approach would probably suffice. The general rule I go by is that if there are enough bees to beard up on the outside when it is hot then it is too many bees to shut up inside. I learned the hard way many years ago that it is better safe than sorry.
***************

Westernbeekeeper advised using the open-top-screens too so will go with that. I know some would say just start over after moving, but starting from scratch again when I've gradually selected four great hives over three years seems like too much of a setback. So I'll try anything to get them there alive! (Have amended travel plans Jim Lyon to pull an all-nighter drive to shorten the duration. It's a 14 hrs-of-solid-driving trip....I forsee LOTS of coffee in my future...but used to work night-shift so will revert to those habits.

Thank you so much to everyone for the help!

[beepro]

Since the heat and ventilation we are worry about and it seems to work with the extra hive box with screen cover all over the top with extra space, then I propose you put an extra box between the 2 hive boxes. This will open up more space for them to breathe. Drill some holes for adequate ventilation into this empty box and screen off the holes. You can put extra empty frames inside this empty box so the bees can cling to them. But the box does not need to fill all the way up with these frames. Spacing them with enough ventilation will do. Also keep them out of direct sunlight too. Rest enough when you are tired. And don't forget the alarm clock too.

[jim lyon]

TimB shared helpful info on other thread:



Westernbeekeeper advised using the open-top-screens too so will go with that. I know some would say just start over after moving, but starting from scratch again when I've gradually selected four great hives over three years seems like too much of a setback. So I'll try anything to get them there alive! (Have amended travel plans Jim Lyon to pull an all-nighter drive to shorten the duration. It's a 14 hrs-of-solid-driving trip....I forsee LOTS of coffee in my future...but used to work night-shift so will revert to those habits.

Thank you so much to everyone for the help!

Best of luck on your move and your decision to join the "all nighter" bee moving club. When properly executed the bees hardly even know anything happened . It always amazes me how quickly bees orient to a new location and get right to work.

[lilejac]

to increase ventilation I've often drilled a hole the same size as a wine cork and covered it with screen maybe a hole on each end. The purpose of being wine corked size is so that when you arrive at your destination you can replace the screen with a wine cork when cold weather comes along