Transportation of bees: pros and cons, rules and terms for transportation to a new place

Transportation of honey bees is often practiced by beekeepers. There are good reasons for moving. Firstly, with the help of mobile beekeeping, it is possible to increase the collection of honey by more than 1.5 times, and secondly, such a measure allows the owner of the apiary to obtain new species. Mobile beekeeping is considered a costly and rather time-consuming event, so only experienced beekeepers decide on it.

Why are bees transported

Transportation of bees over long distances often becomes a necessary measure. Beekeepers take this step based on the following goals:

• installation of beehives in an environmentally friendly place;
• placing an apiary near certain plants to get a new kind of honey;
• search for the best food base for bee colonies;
• appearance of a large number of competitors among beekeepers.

Some species of bees cannot fly long distances, so nomadic apiaries are organized specifically at the stage of arrangement. For other beekeepers, the transportation of bees is a necessary measure.

Pros and cons

When deciding on the transportation of beehives, you need to weigh the pros and cons, as well as tune in advance to the difficulties that will arise in the process. The benefits of such a measure include:

• thanks to transportation, the beekeeper can expect to receive the planned supply of honey much faster than in a stationary apiary;
• the beekeeper has the ability to control the amount of honey received and follow the schedule;
• collection of the product starts earlier and ends in late autumn.

There are a number of obvious disadvantages, such as the costs associated with transportation, the need for a special permit, the high risk of death of insects in a new place due to adverse conditions. You should also keep in mind that you will have to live in the field. There may be a need for a hired worker to look after the hives.

Best time to spend

The most favorable time for transporting beehives is early spring and autumn. During the cold season, transportation is not recommended, but in extreme cases it can be arranged. However, no experienced beekeeper will disturb insects at the end of winter, since at this time a large amount of feces accumulates in the hives.

Beekeepers see benefits in springtime transport. The hives do not yet have heavy frames with honey, as well as new combs that insects have built. In addition, there are few insects and brood in the bee colony in early spring.

As for the summer period, it is acceptable to transport in rainy or cloudy weather.

If necessary, you can transport the hives at night. Moving insects in extreme heat is unacceptable - this leads to the death of bees.

Preparation for the process

If the beekeeper plans to transport beehives, then you need to carefully prepare for the process and think through the details. It is important not only to explore a new place, but also to check inventory, equipment.

Features of the new place

There are certain requirements for a place for an apiary, one of which is the presence of a large number of honey plants in the vicinity of bees. Other requirements include:

• no quarantine restrictions in the area;
• hilly terrain;
• presence of a clean reservoir;
• flat area on which to place beehives;
• protection from direct sunlight, rain and drafts;
• maximum distance from roads, residential buildings, businesses, other apiaries.

There must be a minimum distance of 3-4 km from the previous location, otherwise the insects will return to the most familiar area.

Transportation

There are certain requirements for transport. The choice of means depends on the number of hives and how often the apiary is planned to be transported. Often, decommissioned large-capacity vehicles are used for transportation, allowing you to load a dozen hives at the same time.

To transport an apiary weighing more than 0.75 tons, an E-category license is required.

Tractor-trailer transportation can be arranged, however, a special permit will be required. If the beekeeper does not have the right license, he can hire a carrier.

Required inventory

To transport the hives, you will need bars and braces to connect and fasten the bee houses, as well as a nomadic and sling mesh. For the current maintenance of the apiary, you must have the following devices:

• empty beehives;
• set of carpentry tools;
• royevni;
• smoker;
• lantern;
• scales in casing;
• pulverizer.

You should think in advance what may be needed during the period when the beekeeper lives and works on the road, away from settlements.

Preparation of hives for transportation

If transportation is carried out in the spring, no special preparations are required. In the summer, many frames are already filled with honey, so special dividers are needed to prevent falling.

Before the trip, you need to strengthen objects that can injure bees when they fall, cover the hives with an awning, and improve the ventilation of the houses. Before loading the hives, bees must be driven into them.

Fixed elements are important to fix, otherwise they will fall during the vibration during the move. Those parts of the hives that can be removed for the duration of the movement should be removed (frames, honeycombs).

Loading features

Proper preparation for transporting beehives is not enough, you need to carefully load them into the vehicle, minimizing the risks to insects and people. It is important to assess the quality of the road in advance. Loading is carried out as follows:

• load hives only when the engine is on;
• in order to prevent strong shaking, you need to lay straw on the floor, pull the beehives with ropes;
• you need to install the hives with the front or rear walls along the vehicle;
• houses should be arranged as compactly as possible.

If necessary, it is possible to install a second tier, but you need to prepare strong boards.

How to transport beehives

Maximum care must be taken during transportation, as insects may be harmed. To protect against a swarm of transportation participants, you must follow simple rules.

Air access

It is important for the bee family to provide air access while the insects are on the road. To get the right air exchange, you need to fix the mesh on the cuffs within the framework. Also, beekeepers leave small gaps through which bees cannot get out.Another option is holes covered with mesh.

However, in the summer, such measures will not be enough. You need to space the hives at a distance of 15 cm from each other, providing space with small bars.

Precautions for people

When transporting the apiary, the main thing is the safety of the participants. This should be taken care of by the beekeeper. Before leaving, you should check if the insects can not leave the hives. Antihistamines should be prepared in advance to prevent an allergic reaction.

The beekeeper must provide the transportation participants with protective equipment: gloves, masks, suits. During the trip, you need to keep smokers with you to protect yourself from the swarm.

Move speed

The speed of movement mainly depends on the quality of the road surface:

• 5-10 km/h - poor quality country road;
• 15-30 km/h - uneven areas;
• 50-70 km/h - driving on a flat surface or asph alt road.

It is not recommended to stop while moving with hives.

Possible errors

Of course, beekeepers make mistakes, especially if they encountered the procedure for moving the apiary for the first time. It should be understood that this event is quite risky and costly. Mistakes lead to losses. Common missteps include:

• placement of beehives in the lowlands;
• installation of houses near agricultural land;
• adjacent apiary.

Besides this, many beekeepers, setting up beehives on the banks of the river, do not think about the fact that honey fields are on the other side. Many insects drown while flying over water.

The reaction of bees to the move

Moving scares the bee colony. They can hardly tolerate the noise of the motor, vibration, being in a confined space. Insects accelerate metabolic processes, their need for oxygen increases.

Due to the excited state, the bees are trying to find a way out of the hive. Therefore, it is important to seal the gaps that a bee can crawl through.

Setting up the hive upon arrival

The first rule is you can't open the hives on arrival. The beekeeper waits for the swarm to calm down. Adaptation will take 10-12 hours. During this time, it is worth arranging the houses, covering them with branches, building sheds.

Letki open gradually - through one hive. This allows insects to correctly navigate the terrain. After that, you can set the frame. In the event that the hives arrived at the place at night, the entrances are opened at the same time.

Bees are normally aggressive during the first 3-4 days. During the period of flying around the territory, they are able to pounce on people and animals. To do this, the beekeeper must have a smoker ready.

On the day of arrival, you should transfer the hives from the traveling position to the usual position, arrange drinkers and arrival boards.

What to do if the hive is damaged

Often, with all the efforts of the beekeeper, the hives are damaged during the move. Clay and tow are used for troubleshooting. On the road, you should take the prepared solution of the clay mixture.

If you notice a honey leak and insects fly out, you need to lift the lid and release them, and then get the damaged honeycomb. Clean the bee house, repair it, put in new honeycombs. Provide insects with food, and close the hive. Leave letki open. Wear protective clothing during the repair period.

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