Consider selling your colonies it would make life so very much easier! Moving is stressful enough without having to plan a drive straight thru and having someplace to unload your bees at the other end. Good luck and it is a rough one.
Moving
So my family and i are moving from KS to Jacksonville FL area in about 40 days. Any info on bee keeping in the jacksonville area, and good ideas on how to move 7 hives cross country would be appreciated.
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What type of vehicle do you have? Unless you have a pickup I think it will take multiple trips.
From what I have heard the big issue with moving hives is keeping them cool. You do not want to leave them closed up in the sun or where they will get to hot.
From what I have heard the big issue with moving hives is keeping them cool. You do not want to leave them closed up in the sun or where they will get to hot.
Elmer_fud is right on the money. I know a fellow who sells and transports package bees in the spring. He has a covered trailer(white with an aluminum top). He has fans in it and maybe screened ports in the side.
Early spring is probably best for the bees. The almond migration is January and February. Given that you may want take Vance G's advice.
Migratory commercial bee keepers use flatbed trucks and their hives are on pallets. The pictures I've seen they only tarp with screens and don't close up their hives. So with 7 colonies you will need 2 pallets. An open trailer should accommodate that. !/8 screens should take care of the ventilation since you don't have screened tarps. These are only guesses on my part since I've never moved hives except locally.
Good Luck!
Early spring is probably best for the bees. The almond migration is January and February. Given that you may want take Vance G's advice.
Migratory commercial bee keepers use flatbed trucks and their hives are on pallets. The pictures I've seen they only tarp with screens and don't close up their hives. So with 7 colonies you will need 2 pallets. An open trailer should accommodate that. !/8 screens should take care of the ventilation since you don't have screened tarps. These are only guesses on my part since I've never moved hives except locally.
Good Luck!
One problem you are not going to have is having field bees returning to the original hive locations.
I think if they were mine I would try to sell them and start again in the new property. I know that here in Australia migratory 'keepers sometime travel up to 1000kms to chase flows, but they are equipped for the journey. Even so, I am sure it will be quite a stressful journey for the bees and I wouldn't be surprised that they have losses on the way. Not to mention the stress on you.
It is one of those though choices, I really wish you luck.
I think if they were mine I would try to sell them and start again in the new property. I know that here in Australia migratory 'keepers sometime travel up to 1000kms to chase flows, but they are equipped for the journey. Even so, I am sure it will be quite a stressful journey for the bees and I wouldn't be surprised that they have losses on the way. Not to mention the stress on you.
It is one of those though choices, I really wish you luck.
The good thing is the beehives should be settled in for winter. If you seal them up and cover them, they should be comfortable. The map says it is a 17-18 hour drive from Mulvane, KS, so two days driving should not be that stressful on the bees. They will love Florida in the spring, lots of nectar and pollen available.
Where will you be living? If it is a subdivision, I would check on any HOA rules for the neighborhood.
I found this, it looks like you will need to stop for an agricultural inspection once you enter FL:
"Regulations for Keeping Bees in Florida
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry (FDACS-DPI) is the governing body that oversees the rules and regulations of keeping honey bees in Florida. Florida has a mandatory registration law, thus each beekeeper having honey bee colonies within the state must register with the Department. Registered beekeepers will be issued a unique firm number; this number must be permanently marked on each of their hive bodies for identification purposes. Beekeepers’ registrations must be renewed annually, and all registered beekeepers will undergo routine inspection for symptoms of American Foulbrood by an FDACS apiary inspector. New honey bee colonies moved into Florida are also subject to inspection by the Florida Department of Agricultural Law Enforcement. Any bees or equipment found to be infested with specific pests, including American Foulbrood or African honey bees, will need to be treated or destroyed if treatment is not possible. Adulterated honey product will be confiscated. Visit the FDACS Beekeeper Registration page for more information.
With permission of the land owner or legal representative, managed honey bee colonies in Florida may be located either on agricultural land or on non-agricultural land that is integral to a beekeeping operation. FDACS holds the authority to preempt any local ordinances that prohibit beekeeping except for those adopted by homeowners’ associations (HOA) or deed-restricted communities. Any colonies kept on non-agricultural properties must follow the Best Management Requirements (BMR) for Maintaining European Honey Bee Colonies to be in compliance with the Beekeeper Compliance Agreement (FDACS-08492). For further explanation see the publication Best Management Practices for Siting Honey Bee Colonies: Good Neighbor Guidelines."
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/aa264#:~:...their hive bodies for identification purposes.
Also Florida's climate means you will need to treat for mites year round since there is not a brood break. And the dang hive beetles love the warmth and humidity, so keep an eye out for the hive beetles. If you use a bee jacket or suit, you will need a good ventilated one most of the year.
And find a beekeeping club, that will allow you to find out quickly about keeping bees in FL.
Where will you be living? If it is a subdivision, I would check on any HOA rules for the neighborhood.
I found this, it looks like you will need to stop for an agricultural inspection once you enter FL:
"Regulations for Keeping Bees in Florida
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry (FDACS-DPI) is the governing body that oversees the rules and regulations of keeping honey bees in Florida. Florida has a mandatory registration law, thus each beekeeper having honey bee colonies within the state must register with the Department. Registered beekeepers will be issued a unique firm number; this number must be permanently marked on each of their hive bodies for identification purposes. Beekeepers’ registrations must be renewed annually, and all registered beekeepers will undergo routine inspection for symptoms of American Foulbrood by an FDACS apiary inspector. New honey bee colonies moved into Florida are also subject to inspection by the Florida Department of Agricultural Law Enforcement. Any bees or equipment found to be infested with specific pests, including American Foulbrood or African honey bees, will need to be treated or destroyed if treatment is not possible. Adulterated honey product will be confiscated. Visit the FDACS Beekeeper Registration page for more information.
With permission of the land owner or legal representative, managed honey bee colonies in Florida may be located either on agricultural land or on non-agricultural land that is integral to a beekeeping operation. FDACS holds the authority to preempt any local ordinances that prohibit beekeeping except for those adopted by homeowners’ associations (HOA) or deed-restricted communities. Any colonies kept on non-agricultural properties must follow the Best Management Requirements (BMR) for Maintaining European Honey Bee Colonies to be in compliance with the Beekeeper Compliance Agreement (FDACS-08492). For further explanation see the publication Best Management Practices for Siting Honey Bee Colonies: Good Neighbor Guidelines."
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/aa264#:~:...their hive bodies for identification purposes.
Also Florida's climate means you will need to treat for mites year round since there is not a brood break. And the dang hive beetles love the warmth and humidity, so keep an eye out for the hive beetles. If you use a bee jacket or suit, you will need a good ventilated one most of the year.
And find a beekeeping club, that will allow you to find out quickly about keeping bees in FL.
On the 1st of April this year I moved from Texas to Wisconsin. Sold most of my colonies in Texas and decide to take 6 with me to Wisconsin, they were all 3 deeps high packed with bees. I made screened tops for all 6 hives and used ratchet straps to hold them together. Got a 16ft box budget truck and loaded it up with all my household crap with just enough room on the back for the hives. Loaded the six hives pulled down the roller door and drove 16hrs to Wisconsin. I did open the roller door when filling the truck with gas.
One of the screen top move slightly and bees were flying out the back. Not hard to get social distancing at the gas pump with bees flying out .
All survived and have been split 5 ways making 30 colonies. I would have put them on the trailer but I was pulling my car on that.
One of the screen top move slightly and bees were flying out the back. Not hard to get social distancing at the gas pump with bees flying out .
All survived and have been split 5 ways making 30 colonies. I would have put them on the trailer but I was pulling my car on that.
On the 1st of April this year I moved from Texas to Wisconsin. Sold most of my colonies in Texas and decide to take 6 with me to Wisconsin, they were all 3 deeps high packed with bees. I made screened tops for all 6 hives and used ratchet straps to hold them together. Got a 16ft box budget truck and loaded it up with all my household crap with just enough room on the back for the hives. Loaded the six hives pulled down the roller door and drove 16hrs to Wisconsin. I did open the roller door when filling the truck with gas.
One of the screen top move slightly and bees were flying out the back. Not hard to get social distancing at the gas pump with bees flying out .
All survived and have been split 5 ways making 30 colonies. I would have put them on the trailer but I was pulling my car on that.
One of the screen top move slightly and bees were flying out the back. Not hard to get social distancing at the gas pump with bees flying out .
All survived and have been split 5 ways making 30 colonies. I would have put them on the trailer but I was pulling my car on that.
I always wondered what the collateral damage inside the hives is like after such long (and not so long) arduous journeys. Will all the comb survive? Do some box/frame sizes fare better than others? Won’t be fun transporting foundationless and unwired frames I suppose.
So my thoughts are to wait until winter, then load them in an inclosed trailer with There entrance screened and drive them down there. This would give me time to find a place to put the hives, the winter should help keep them cool.
Contact the beekeeping club in Jacksonville and ask if any members would let you park your hives at their place temporarily.So my thoughts are to wait until winter, then load them in an inclosed trailer with There entrance screened and drive them down there. This would give me time to find a place to put the hives, the winter should help keep them cool.
https://www.jaxbees.com/
try to find a "migratory" beekeeper.
Ask them how much to move my hives from point A to point B I would think some have trucks that are not on the road every day.
if the price is more than you want to spend, then I would agree, sell the bees , move, settle in, re start keeping there with local bees.
GG
Ask them how much to move my hives from point A to point B I would think some have trucks that are not on the road every day.
if the price is more than you want to spend, then I would agree, sell the bees , move, settle in, re start keeping there with local bees.
GG
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