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| The hive carrier bites into the cleats on the side of the hive. Two people can easily lift and move a three deep hive that is quite heavy. The entrance is blocked off. |
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| The screen top keeps the bees cool. Water can be sprinkled on the top to keep the bees cool if needed |
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| The wood lath is attached at an angle with screws in all the boxes and the bottom board. |
I moved two colonies on Sat afternoon for someone that was getting out of bees. They had both swarmed recently. The weather was cool with a slight drizzle. Perfect weather for moving bees. Being they had both swarmed, field bees were basically all gone so they were not a concern.
I brought with me some wood lath, my cordless saw and drill, sheetrock screws, screen tops and my hive carrier. Also my bee helper, Cory.
I smoked the hives and screwed down my screen top. The screen top is used to prevent overheating of the colony. I blocked the entrance with wood. If it was hotter out, I would have screened off the entrance for more air circulation.
The lath was then screwed to the hive sides. Putting lath at an angle prevents any movement of boxes and bottom board. Cleats were added to the ends so the hive carrier would not slide up the side of the boxes. When done, Cory and I put the carrier on and moved it out of the backyard and into my trailer then home. The colonies were heavy about 150 lbs each. Moving bees can be a disaster if it is not planned properly. I have moved hives in the past and have experienced disaster. Having improved my method, this move went flawless.
