There always comes a time when you will have to transport a beehive a long distance. You will need to do this by car with or without a trailer. Here are some tips on how to do this safely and without damaging your bees and yourself.
Prepare the hives for transport:
A transport of beehives cannot be improvised. The ideal is to do the operation at the end of the day when all the foragers have returned. So you don't lose any. Whether it is a transport from your apiary to another or to bring a swarm home, try as much as possible to respect this rule.
Then you have to prepare the hive. When bees are locked up, they tend to generate heat. It is therefore important to close the hive so that the bees cannot fly freely, but also to ensure maximum ventilation to cool the bees. If the hive lacks ventilation, bees will die and fall to the floor and further decrease ventilation.
So a ventilated door in front of the hive, which lets air through.
For ventilation, leave all ventilation openings open, remove the drawer from the floor if it is fitted with a mesh, and finally remove the insulation plates normally installed in the roof.
Transportation
The tools to take:
- Protection against bees: gloves and a jacket,
- a smoker and matches,
- a frame lifter,
- a water sprayer,
- a spare strap,
- absorbent type paper to plug an entrance,
- a roll of wide adhesive paper.
- a flashlight if you ever need to intervene at night
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