# Setting escape boards with our Ezyloader



## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

The honey pull has started!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u775nTl2gjU&feature=youtu.be


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## HarryVanderpool (Apr 11, 2005)

Thanks for the cool video, Ian.
I have never used the hand-hold hars on my Ezyloader, only the forks.
Good to see them in action.


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## Mbeck (Apr 27, 2011)

Thanks for sharing.

Aren't you worried that a bear will hurt himself knocking over such tall hives?


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## RogerCrum (Jun 19, 2011)

Thanks for the video. If that loader prevents one serious back injury, it pays for itself. Thou shalt not covet thy brother's EZLoader.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

What is the nectar source of the crop?


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## pahvantpiper (Apr 25, 2006)

Wow, living in the desert we never see hives stacked up like that. Roger might covet your EZloader, I covet your honey crop!


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## rainesridgefarm (Sep 4, 2001)

how do you move the queen down?


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

The queen had been shaken down to the bottom box 3 week prior, when they were still in two boxes. The queen is then confined to the single with a queen excluder and she establishes her brood nest only in that single. She will use 8 or 9 out of the 10 frames for brood. All the honey over the single is then taken for crop

and ya, bears would have fun tipping hives over. We do not get many bears here, but I know of guys who fence their yards off


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

odfrank said:


> What is the nectar source of the crop?


we are pulling clover and canola, alfalfa is also blooming but the honey is being extracted at 05mm so its mostly clover canola


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## Mbeck (Apr 27, 2011)

Can you share your escape board design or type with us?

I'd like to try your method but I'm afraid.
We have SHB here and the clock starts ticking the minute the combs are left unprotected.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

I dont have any experience with SHB

we use the screen board, and 10 cone escape


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## BMAC (Jun 23, 2009)

Hey now that looks pretty slick. How many hives can you pull honey from in a day with that ezloader?


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Its slower than hiring a bunch of guys and fume boards. 
I have 200 boards which we will set in a day, to come back in a couple of days to collect. So if you had enough boards, and enough boxes to keep the yard work going everyday, and enough space in your honey house, once you got going, you could pull 200 hives everyday.

But I dont, Im limited to 200 boards, not enough supers, not enough space in my honey house, and I am currently running one crew, so I am pulling and extracting 400 hives per week.


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## BMAC (Jun 23, 2009)

That sounds like a good process you have. I just moved and have no honey house. I think I might convert my sea container to a honey house for this year.

I have 16 fume boards as I only place 32 colonies a yard. That ezyloader really looks like a nice unit. I dont care for fume boards and I dont have a team of people working for me. 1 part timer is all I have besides myself.


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## Ben Little (Apr 9, 2012)

wow lifting without pain : )


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

Ian, so what do you do about frames of unripe honey that you encounter back at the honey house, because surely there must be some in there with those tall stacks of supers? Do you fill up new boxes with them and put them back on the hives later, or just extract it all out and hope for the best?


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## BMAC (Jun 23, 2009)

Ian if you dont mind me asking how much did you pay for that ezyloader?


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## Mbeck (Apr 27, 2011)

BMAC said:


> Ian if you dont mind me asking how much did you pay for that ezyloader?


What model is it and what modifications did you need?
Did you have to buy it overseas and import etc or is it available locally?

I'm not sure if you've given the details before. Hope I'm not derailing the thread. It's an interesting piece of equipment.

Oh.. One more question. 
If I get you a couple tickets to Disney can you dig it out of the snow and bring it down for me to try out around March?


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

jmgi said:


> Ian, so what do you do about frames of unripe honey that you encounter back at the honey house, because surely there must be some in there with those tall stacks of supers? Do you fill up new boxes with them and put them back on the hives later, or just extract it all out and hope for the best?


no, I dont hope for the best, its all about timing, 
you will notice that not all the hives are stacked 7 high, some are in 3
Give them the room to store the honey that that particular hive can achieve, and during the flow, you can time when the average moisture content is desirable. Too early, light boxes and un ripe honey, too late and plugged boxes and too dry honey


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

BMAC said:


> Ian if you dont mind me asking how much did you pay for that ezyloader?


I paid $23000 a few years back, but not they run for $30000


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Mbeck said:


> What model is it and what modifications did you need?
> Did you have to buy it overseas and import etc or is it available locally?
> 
> I'm not sure if you've given the details before. Hope I'm not derailing the thread. It's an interesting piece of equipment.
> ...


Its the model 300, lifts 650 lbs
imported from Australia 
the new machines have a few more updates than mine, but basically they are the same, I made no modifications to it
no your not derailing the thread, 
and YES< but I have 5 kids, and a wife, so thats seven tickets LOL


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## BMAC (Jun 23, 2009)

Ian said:


> I paid $23000 a few years back, but not they run for $30000




That price tag is a bit more than I expected it to be.


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## Mbeck (Apr 27, 2011)

Ian said:


> Its the model 300, lifts 650 lbs
> imported from Australia
> the new machines have a few more updates than mine, but basically they are the same, I made no modifications to it
> no your not derailing the thread,
> and YES< but I have 5 kids, and a wife, so thats seven tickets LOL


Found it.
http://www.ezyloader.com/

7 tickets = $700.00 you'll have to wait until I get some more hives!
I'll be ready next year. I bet your wife would love to spend 4 days driving in your bee truck with 5 kids for 1 day at Disney!


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

ha ha ha


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## Bee Geek (May 4, 2013)

Ian, thanks for sharing, you big guys with the tools necessary to get the job done, give us smaller guys a lot of hope! Great video, enjoyed the music too!


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

you should hear what the guys play in the honey house, loud and thumping LOL


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## BMAC (Jun 23, 2009)

Ian that is the only way to extract honey. Well that and copious amounts of BEER!


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## beecavalier (Jan 30, 2014)

Ian...came across this post and was wondering why you chose that design of bee escape board over the popular triangle design...do you still pull honey using this method?


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Cones work fast 
Once those bees hit the screen they herd downward


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## beebreeder (Nov 24, 2009)

If you like the idea but not the finance, this thread is worth a look, Ian himself commented on the quality of the build. http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?283958-bee-lift


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