[WUVIE]

I am planning on moving some hives this weekend
(back of my pickup no camper shell).
The distance will be about 70 miles and the temp’s will be high 32 and low of 17.
The hives (two deeps and one honey super)
have migratory covers and no inner cover.

Questions:

Pros and cons of moving in the cold?

Will the cluster stay in tact during the move
or will they freak out?

Do the hives need to be wrapped?

If not advisable to move hives in
cold weather what is the minimum the
temp should be?

 

[dcross]

I've never tried it, but I would be very reluctant to move bees below 40 degrees.

 

[Michael Bush]

>Pros and cons of moving in the cold?

Bees that fall down out of the cluster can't get back up in the cold and often die on the bottom board or start their own small cluster on the bottom.

>Will the cluster stay in tact during the move
or will they freak out?

It's not that they freak out but that they fall from the bumps.

>Do the hives need to be wrapped?

It's hard to say if they will get cold or hot in a camper shell. They give off a lot of heat.

>If not advisable to move hives in
cold weather what is the minimum the
temp should be?

I have never moved bees unless it's warm enough that they are flying.

 

[WUVIE]

Thanks for the help.
I can see where some
might fall off the cluster.
I can hold off till it gets
warmer, just wanted to get
them home in a hurry....

 

[Gregg]

I see no problem moving them in those kind of temps. I have moved bees quite often (out of necessity) with temps in the 20s (with a forklift & hives on pallets). I presume you're lifting & moving them by hand, just be careful not to bump or jar them too much when lifting them or setting them on the pickup bed.

Had to look again, you did say NO camper shell. Make sure the hives are securely tied or strapped down to prevent them from sliding and to keep the lids from flying off. Good luck.

 

[WUVIE]

Thanks Gregg:

I talked to the guy that has
the hives and he said he would
hold them for me until warmer
weather. He said I would need
a four wheel drive to get to where
they were (which I have). I was
going to strap the hives with cargo
straps and then strap them together
in the truck.
Thanks again for your response..

 

[OldScout]

Don't needing a four wheel drive vehicle most likely mean that it'll probably be a bumpy ride?

 

[Beemaninsa]

I was thinking that if you had fairly new drawn wax foundation wouldn't it be very brittle at freezing temps and could this cause problems on 4X4 quality roads?