# How to transport my bee hives



## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

Truck, trailer, SUV, back seat of car, trunk of car. Seal the hives with screen across entrance for ventilation (unless they have SBB, if so just seal front, gorilla duct tape any holes or cracks in the hives, and move them.

cchoganjr


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## Ski (Jan 18, 2007)

EmiKami,
A pickup truck would be great but I have a ford expedition and have moved hives several times. I wait until dusk so all or most of the forragers will be in the hive then put a moving net over each hive. Load them up and drive off. Unload them at the new location and leave the net on until morning then release them just before dawn. IF you were only moving some of the hives you could move them anytime as the returning forragers would just return to another hive. 
http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Moving-Net/productinfo/985/
Let us know how it goes.


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## EmiKami (May 14, 2012)

Cleo C. Hogan Jr said:


> Truck, trailer, SUV, back seat of car, trunk of car. Seal the hives with screen across entrance for ventilation (unless they have SBB, if so just seal front, gorilla duct tape any holes or cracks in the hives, and move them.
> 
> cchoganjr


Thank you ! Is there a better time to move hives? Is it better to move at night when all bees are inside so we don't leave anybody behind? 
Is it better to move now than a month later?


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## EmiKami (May 14, 2012)

Thank you! I will order the net for sure. This is a stupid question though but here it goes. You put the net after moving all the boxes, right?


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

The net is expensive and not neccessary. On a cool day, Put a ratchet strap around the bottomboard to cover and lock things in place. Wait til dusk and tape any holes, staple a screen securely or tape the entrance closed and flame on! When you get your short distance move done it will be dark. Place them exactly where you want them on your property. Give it some thought before moving. open the entrance and walk away for a couple days. It is done. So simple I have sucessfully done it a hundred times.


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## EmiKami (May 14, 2012)

Vance G said:


> The net is expensive and not neccessary. On a cool day, Put a ratchet strap around the bottomboard to cover and lock things in place. Wait til dusk and tape any holes, staple a screen securely or tape the entrance closed and flame on! When you get your short distance move done it will be dark. Place them exactly where you want them on your property. Give it some thought before moving. open the entrance and walk away for a couple days. It is done. So simple I have sucessfully done it a hundred times.


Thank you. What kind of tape do you use? If it is sticky, don't bees get stuck on it?


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

The time you move hives is directly related to how many hives you have to move. If a very small number, yes, wait until just before dark. (Or better yet, screen off before daylight and move during the day) If you have several to move, moving and setup after dark is not a good option.

A month from now it will be cooler, and fewer bees will be out in the field early in the morning, so I would screen the front at daylight, then move during the day. You can seal any opening the day or week before, so that all you have to do on movement day, is seal the entrance. I wouldn't wait until freeze conditions, as comb not occupied by bees will be more brittle if frozen.

If you move during the day you will lose some of your field bees, but, keep in mind they are at the end of their life anyway. This time of year if your bees are in good shape, losing a few bees is not a big deal. Those bees will be dead in a few days. If your bees are strong, reducing the number by a small number is not a big deal.

cchoganjr


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## CaBees (Nov 9, 2011)

Expanding on her question with more questions!  I am being given a 2 deep, 1 medium super hive by an elderly person who can no longer take care of them. I was thinking of waiting until late winter / early spring as it is within 3 miles of my house, the population should be down and I do have to take it apart to move it as it is too heavy to move as one unit (and on the side of a hill).

My question, if I take it during winter when they are theoretically 'clustering' would all that jarring etc. disturb the cluster? I would take each medium, set it on a plywood board, tape it up and move them. When setting them up I would of course put them back the same order they were originally in. Or should I just wait until March when the rains stop and the days start to warm up?


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

I have moved 2 1/2 tall boxes many times using a hive carrier, the hinged curved pipe style carrier, even on hills they work great. Or just remove the top super which they don't need in winter any ways. Do it in the cold of winter, choose the right cold rainy day and you can even do it in the daylight.


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## Jim Koenig (Dec 18, 2009)

I like to move my hives very early in the morning, but late evening will also work. I duct tape all of the joints between the boxes and the bottom board. This keeps thing from shifting when moving the hive into the vehicle and then during transport. Trust me you don't want the hive coming apart during this time. I use screened bottoms so I also duct tape over the entrance that has a reducer in it.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

I just use duct tape. Yes a few bees get stuck on it. If you cut a piece of wood exactly and nail it in place blocking the entrance, that will work too. For any cracks or crevices, nothing is better than the sticky tape and one can quickly lose more bees to leakage out of the hive than will possibly be damaged by sticky tape.


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## CaBees (Nov 9, 2011)

Thanks all, I'll look into buying a hive carrier, love learning from this list! My other friend is now allergic to bees so may give me her hives too. Looks like I'll be expanding very quickly for next year; even have fellow beekeepers willing to sell my honey with theirs at the farmer's market. I still want to sell splits as a side line too.

Also I use a combination of screening and duct tape depending how far I'm going and how hot. I also have a few boards for the top where I drilled holes in them and covered them with screen.


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

CaBees said:


> Thanks all, I'll look into buying a hive carrier, love learning from this list! .


Dont waste the money unless you plan on moving them a lot. Just bring someone with you it is cheaper.



Just get some #8 screening and screen them in the night before and move them in the morning. But, evening is the best time to do it if you dont want to screen them in. Get some of these. http://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-1-inch-x-15-ft-ratcheting-tie-down-set-90984.html


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## westernbeekeeper (May 2, 2012)

Cleo C. Hogan Jr said:


> Truck, trailer, SUV, back seat of car, trunk of car. Seal the hives with screen across entrance for ventilation (unless they have SBB, if so just seal front, gorilla duct tape any holes or cracks in the hives, and move them.
> 
> cchoganjr


I agree with Hogan. I do it the same way. Make sure you have someone to help you load and unload.


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## CaBees (Nov 9, 2011)

> Dont waste the money unless you plan on moving them a lot. Just bring someone with you it is cheaper.


Bringing someone with me is not going to help me move a 2 deep full hive up a hill and into my truck and not have to take apart a hive to move it. I like the idea of having a hive carrier with handles. I will probably get alot of use out of it over the years.

Unfortunately I just don't have a lot of upper body strength.


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

CaBees said:


> Bringing someone with me is not going to help me move a 2 deep full hive up a hill and into my truck and not have to take apart a hive to move it.


Touche, Handtruck might work easier a hive carrier still requires 2 people. Unless you get the hive hand truck. I have one and have never found a use for it.


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## CaBees (Nov 9, 2011)

I have to go up hills and steps for this one and am going to try and do it in the winter when they are clusterd. But yes, otherwise a handtruck could be a solution although you would still be tilting the hive, no?


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

I typically move evening/night when most of the girls are back. You will lose some bees that overnight in the field. Like everyone says, secure the boxes so they cannot come apart and screen off the entrance so nothing can get out. Make sure the top cover is screwed down as well. Make sure they have some ventilation. I don't tape my boxes up as they have slats on each end so i can screw the boxes together. I used a sock once to seal up the entrance (it was a nice clean wool sock....ok) when my screen was MIA. It worked ok, but just make sure you stuff it in there good.... Make sure someone can help u load, you need two fairly strong people to lift more than a 3 box hive (deeps). Lifting a 4 box deep is the pits, especially into a lifted truck.....


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

CaBees said:


> you would still be tilting the hive, no?


They will be screened in so a little tilting would be acceptable. You need to do it quick and try not to jar them to much. When they are in cluster you want to try and not jar them at all.


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## CaBees (Nov 9, 2011)

That is what I'm thinking, a hive carrier could keep them level (will get to nice strong men to help me) and don't want to tilt either the bees or the comb. I've only moved bees during the summer so far but would like to get this one moved before they start up again in the spring. Plus this person is 93 years old and I hate to say it, I just don't know how long he is going to be around and his family would like the bees out of there soon. Thanks all for the replies and advice.


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## EmiKami (May 14, 2012)

I thought I would bring my husband but he will drop my precious boxes if bees escape. I can guarantee! Since both of us have bad backs, I am thinking to rent a hand truck. Someone said to make sure that there is ventilation. If I tape everything, the only ventilation is from the bottom board, correct? Is this enough?


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## CaBees (Nov 9, 2011)

How far do you have to go? Just 20 minutes, right? I personally set the hive onto a piece of plywood and then tape it on instead of worrying about taping and untaping the bottom board or screening it up. The other thing I do is use a ventilated top board and put tape a screen over it ahead of time. Then that too is very easy to put on the top of the hive, tape it and take it off when at the location I'm going to. I'll have everything ready ahead of time and arrive at dawn to quickly make the switch and tape.

At our split class I saw boxes taped up like this and they were good in people's cars for 45 minutes or more....as long as it is cool and not hot. Does this make sense?


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## Ben Franklin (May 3, 2011)

EmiKami said:


> Thank you ! Is there a better time to move hives? Is it better to move at night when all bees are inside so we don't leave anybody behind?
> Is it better to move now than a month later?


No matter when you move the bees there will be some left behind.


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## mgolden (Oct 26, 2011)

Two rachet straps around the total hive works well. Place both straps on sides some distance apart. If the straps are used to wrap like a Christmas present, things shift easily and bees can escape and maybe inside a vehicle.

I use SBBs and a piece of wood, nailed in place over bottom entrance. If it's a solid bottom board, I use 1/8 screen, however a few bees will escape through it though. Aluminum window screen is better. Staple screen in place.


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## linn (Nov 19, 2010)

What if it ends up being a one person job? Can she separate the deeps and transport both deeps separately in the back of her car, station wagon, or SUV?
linn


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## WWW (Feb 6, 2011)

linn, I think the bees could be moved in October and yes she could carry and transport the deeps separately by leaving the bottom brood box on the bottom board with the entrance screened and the top cover over it, then set the other box on a piece of plywood and use a window screen to cover the top of the box, take a piece of window screening and drape it over the box and use duct tape to go around the box to fasten the screen down. Now each half can easily be carried without buying a hive carrier. I would recommend a cheep 1" ratchet strap be placed around each assembly for safety reasons if the boxes are to be transported inside a vehicle with you and do not run the heater, it is best if you can keep them in cluster.


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## linn (Nov 19, 2010)

Hi Bill,
Thanks for your reply. I just put a post with this same question. I should have waited. I was thinking about doing this on Sunday. My brood box is on the top. I can use some plywood and secure it with a rachet strap. There is not much in the bottom deep but of course I still need to take it.
Thanks,
linn


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## Sam Fugate (Jul 28, 2012)

I moved a hive this evening, waited untill dark, I put a piece of screen on the entrance reducer and duck taped it to the hive, I also taped a screen over the hole in the top cover. Ratchet strapped around the boxes, loaded it on a hand truck and wheeled it to my pickup truck. This whole process took about 10 minutes. Loaded it in the truck and hauled it 40 miles. When I got it home, I wheeled it to its permanent location, Waited about 10-15 minutes for the bees to settle down a bit. Removed the entrance reducer, cut a tree limb with lots of leaves on it and placed it in front of the hive just covering the entrance. This will force the bees to re orient when they come out in the morning. Michael Bush recomends you do this so who am I to say otherwise. This was my third hive move this year and I have had no problems. Good Luck with your move.


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## peter50 (Sep 26, 2012)

Thanks all the participants. This is really amazing and helpful work.


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