[78-79fordman]

What's some don'ts of hauling bees .

 

[Vance G]

Don't let them overheat or they will die fairly rapidly. If inside a closed vehicle they need a screened top or unobstructed screened bottom.

 

[Barry Digman]

How many bees? Are we talking hauling in the sense of a semi load of 400+- hives to the almonds, or a couple of hives in the back of a pickup. Distance? Time of year? Location?

 

[78-79fordman]

How many bees? Are we talking hauling in the sense of a semi load of 400+- hives to the almonds, or a couple of hives in the back of a pickup. Distance? Time of year? Location?

Lets keep it say small number of hives Not semi loads . And any distances . Any times of the year . And different locations . It's not just to help me as others that use the search button also . From nucs to full hive .

 

[xbeeman412]

I haul 48 hives on 4 way pallets on the flatbed with nothing over them and only move at night 300 miles. I do have a bee net made to fit over them should I break down. No need to stop for fuel and have had no problems. Don't stop or hang around lit up areas at night.

Don't make the mistake of not stopping and checking the straps as they DO loosen up when You leave the field and need to be retightened.

Don't move hives that have been opened up (removed boxes and then replaced) so as to keep them glued togeather and not shift as easy.

 

[homesteader824]

Something I've heard the guys that transport hives long distance say is to leave the rig running. When you shut off the engine, the bees miss the vibration and become agitated. If they are confined I don't guess it's a big deal, I just found it interesting.

I think the most important thing is they have adequate ventilation. I saw a fellow transport packages in a van. He checked them around midnight and the bees were okay, but 10 hours later there was a massive die-off. A sad sight to see. I never heard if it was determined what was the cause, but I suspect having over 100 packages in a confined area led to a buildup of excessive CO2.