Retaining Beeyards on Trailers | Bee Tradition

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Retaining Beeyards on Trailers

“Cell Beeyards”
By means of: James E. Tew

Trailering Bees
I latterly chatted with Jeff Ott, an skilled beekeeper about trailering bees (Edited feedback taken from “Bee Trailers – The Moveable Bee Hive” podcast, Honey Bee Obscura, Would possibly 18, 2023. Podcast #126. https://www.honeybeeobscura.com/bee-trailers-the-portable-bee-hive-126/). I recorded the dialog and transcribed it for you.

Jim: I will have to have 5 trailers presently, and ahead of anyone says, “Oh, my stars!” you will have to know that they’re all small. I’ve were given any place from in reality small trailers that pass in the back of my small tractors all of the approach as much as two larger trailers that I will be able to tow in the back of my truck.
At one time or some other I’ve had bee colonies on each and every a kind of trailers. It’s been my enjoy, as an older beekeeper, that I would like wheels or rollers on the entirety in my bee lifestyles.
When transferring hives for pollination, whilst a more youthful guy, I used to be keen to make use of trailers. Is there any approach that I will be able to use a trailer and now not need to take those colonies off this truck, set them down, return 8 to ten days later, and do the entire thing once more? It’s an infinite quantity of labor to load and dump hives.
An instantaneous query for the grower is, “Can I simply put those hives on a trailer after which unhook it and be long past?” Time and again, the growers would stand their flooring and require me to set colonies during the orchard. That used to be much more paintings and it’s more straightforward to lose a colony in tall grass.

Jeff: The large guys, have their front-end loaders and pallets they usually’re all set to do this sort of in-and-out form of beekeeping and pollination or no matter you’re doing. All of the whilst, transferring from one location to some other whilst following the bloom, with the intention to discuss. Smaller beekeeping operations can’t manage to pay for the front-end loaders or skid loaders, and the trailer turns into a viable possibility. There’s so much to imagine while you’re searching at a trailer for hauling bees.

Jim: Proper off the bat. You virtually stated it, I used to be looking forward to it – proper off the bat, “Why would I take advantage of a trailer of any measurement?” My speedy reaction is as a result of they’re usually a lot decrease to the bottom than my pickup or a bigger truck. I don’t have to select the colony up or elevate the colony as top off the bottom.
Sure, I will be able to use ramps at the tailgate of the truck, however do you wish to have somebody to make photos of you while you’re looking to pull that beehive up the ones ramps – backwards – into the truck? That foot and a part or so top distinction in reality issues. If you were given the proper trailer, it’ll if truth be told have loading ramps which can be constructed at the again of it.

Jeff: Sure.

Jim: I to find it a lot more straightforward to load a trailer with bees than I do to get them up in my truck or, within the previous days, on a flatbed truck, after which get them back down.

Jeff: No, it most effective takes a few times of looking to load a heavy beehive right into a again of a pickup truck ahead of you know this received’t paintings as a standard match. It’s excellent for a few times when transferring a beeyard. For those who’re doing regularly, the trailer in reality turns out to be useful and the decrease to the bottom – inside of limits – the easier.
You must take into accounts the place your beeyards are positioned. For those who’re doing pollination contracts or following the bloom, then it’s a must to imagine flooring clearances. That turns into a complete other think about looking to make a decision what trailer you wish to have.

Jim: For those who’re going to unhitch the trailer after which again it up once more, sure, the beekeeper desires to understand if the backyard is stage. Is the backyard cast? In an ideal bee global, the sky is at all times blue, birds are at all times making a song, and bees are at all times glad, however the not unusual truth is that it’s 2:30 within the morning, the dew has fallen, the truck’s slipping at the grass, and you’ll’t see the hitch. You’ve were given nobody that can assist you since you’ve were given no pals, Jeff. You’ve already been via they all years in the past. The satan is in the main points.

Jeff: The one pals you’ve got at the moment is mosquitoes. They’re far and wide you.

Jim: [laughs] They’re now not pals. They’re simply there on the identical time. I do need to put this in our dialogue presently. For those who haven’t achieved it, you’re most definitely going to do it.
Right here’s the placement. For those who’ve were given a smallish, unmarried axle trailer, you listened to a podcast otherwise you learn a piece of writing someplace, and you purchased a trailer. Now it’s time to go back and hitch it again to the truck. When that trailer isn’t hitched to the truck and the hives aren’t positioned proper over the axle, and even higher, closer the entrance of the trailer, the tongue will fly up within the air since you all at once put your frame weight at the again of the trailer. The axle, serving as a fulcrum, with the hives within the heart, will tilt up. , you’ve hastily were given your bees unloaded. They’ll come sliding down that trailer against you. So, hitch the trailer to the truck first. Then paintings with the colonies. All the ones years in the past, that brings me to the very subsequent level, if conceivable, that the towing car will have to be a four-wheel pressure car.

Jeff: Your towing car?

Jim: Sure, your towing car will have to be four-wheel pressure. Like I stated, the arena’s now not at all times very best. Every now and then it’s wet and muddy. You’ve discussed pollination paintings. If truth be told, I’ve moved hives more often than not now not for pollination paintings, however for control causes.
For example, I had a few hives that wouldn’t forestall stinging the entire group. The transfer used to be now not an enormous one. This used to be only a transfer of 2 colonies. I’m in reality going to have bother discovering somebody to lend a hand me transfer them. I nonetheless used the trailer as a result of I’ve were given bees which can be stinging everybody in sight requiring me to paintings on my own.
So, I nonetheless used the trailer – huge overkill – simply taking out the ones two genetically offended colonies to a location 40 miles away. The humorous a part of this tale is {that a} undergo discovered the ones two colonies. Jap Ohio beekeepers had now not had a bear-sighting in about 100 years. I virtually were given my title within the native newspaper. The undergo destroyed the ones two colonies. I wrote about this in an previous article.
Now, you’ve were given a four-wheel pressure truck and only a unmarried axle trailer, possibly 12 to fourteen ft lengthy, and also you’re going to take it to a beeyard. That backyard will have to have the ability to take that roughly rig turning round, backing up, getting out. Numerous beeyards is not going to paintings smartly for trailering your bees simply since you’re going to need to do a little subtle riding and backing if the backyard is just too small.

Jeff: It wishes as a way to maintain it with a loaded trailer. Numerous instances an unloaded trailer sits otherwise than a loaded trailer. You’ll get in there however you’ll’t get out otherwise you get it loaded up, however you’ll’t get subsidized up. You wish to have to place those traits in attention.
Once I had horses, I at all times used a gooseneck trailer. I like gooseneck trailers. Relating to trailers for bees, do you like a gooseneck trailer or a bumper hitch? Secondly, what number of axles will have to the trailer have? One or two? Two axles is much more solid and also you don’t have that fly-up of the hitch that you’ve a priority with a unmarried axle. What’s your enjoy on that?

Jim: I’ve some guesses, some evaluations, and a few enjoy.

Jeff: Positive.

Jim: The 2-axle trailer is most definitely going to have brakes on it, in order that in reality is helping. Even a loaded unmarried axle trailer, medium measurement, 16 ft lengthy with 15, 20, 30 colonies of bees on it, it’s going to in reality push the truck. You, the motive force, will have to understand that the preventing distance goes to be very much larger to prevent the truck. Double-axle trailers normally have brakes – surge brakes at the tongue – or one thing like that.
Secondly, the ones higher trailers also are heavier making it a distinct idea. Extra power on you the motive force and extra fuel intake. They’re extra solid, however there’s a restrict on what weight you’ll put at the bumper hitch.
I pulled a trailer, loaded with excellent junk, all of the approach from South Alabama to Northeast Ohio. I didn’t realize till I used to be backing down my house driveway that my bumper had twisted downward at the truck making my bumper place at a couple of 35-degree perspective. The bolts that held the bumper to the truck body had slipped.
I used to be house, however I nonetheless had a frightened second there. What if the bumper had come off? It’s a bumper hitch, so the trailer may have come unfastened from the truck.
Now, having gotten thus far, I’ve now not mechanically used a gooseneck. I’m going to need to rely on you. We’ve used horse trailers and made them paintings for transferring the apparatus basically, however I by no means used a gooseneck trailer of any type for transferring hives. It used to be at all times a bumper hitch or a heavy-duty pentel hitch. You inform me what used to be concerned when hooking up that gooseneck to the truck. You stated it used to be extra solid, more straightforward to again. How tough used to be it to glue a gooseneck trailer to the truck?

Jeff: It’s a a lot more solid trip within the wind. That trailer connected as a gooseneck is a a lot more safe trailer. Backing used to be so much more straightforward. It’s extra herbal, extra intuitive, when backing. Even lining up the hitch and hooking it up used to be more straightforward as a result of, most often, you might want to see it as much as the overall 2d to the hitch the trailer in the midst of the truck mattress. I perceive one of the most new vehicles now actually have a digital camera searching on the heart of the mattress of the truck. Even lining it up with a digital camera is rather like many vehicles now with a backup lend a hand. The disadvantage is that those trailers are costlier.

Jim: Jeff, I’ve were given a query that I suppose I’ll take a look at when we end this dialog, however presently, are you able to inform me, what’s the other between a trailer and a wagon?

Jeff: Whilst you say wagon, the one factor I will be able to call to mind is it says Radio Flyer stamped at the facet, or it’s being towed in the back of a tractor loaded filled with hay.

Jim: That’s precisely the place I used to be going. Years in the past, I believed I had a brilliant concept. I took one of the most college hay wagons – they’re simply very utilitarian units – and put pollination hives on them. I nailed the pallets and the ground forums to the deck of the trailer after which put the colony elements at the nailed backside forums. It in reality made a safe trip. Those hives are staying on that trailer. All I needed to do used to be stay the outer covers on.
What’s essentially mistaken with this? Solution? By the point I were given the place I used to be going, I had a load of the angriest, maximum disillusioned bees you’ve ever observed, and I spotted at the commute that you’ll most effective pass about 20 miles in line with hour. A hay wagon has no suspension machine on it. It’s a gradual wagon with a coarse trip.
I’m hypothesizing that the variation between a trailer and a wagon is the suspension machine, or the loss of it. If anyone has any hobby in the use of a hay wagon, you’re going to have to move at 15-20 miles in line with hour. For those who pass a lot quicker, you’re going to be bouncing bees far and wide the group as a result of there’s now not sufficient weight to settle the trailer out – even though you run the tire’s part slack. That hay wagon concept blew up on me. I used to be now not ready to make use of the ones easy farm wagons as a bee-moving instrument at the freeway. They paintings high-quality inside the orchard.

Jeff: Fascinating.

Jim: Whilst you discussed the pony wagon just a little in the past, the pony trailer, you wandered into a distinct area. The ones are enclosed trailers. Shipment doorways shut them up. I had a surprise years in the past the use of a shipment truck (now not a trailer) with fold-down doorways. I need to let you know it’s in reality simple, even if the temperature outdoor used to be within the 20’s, to overheat that load of bees in an enclosed container.
You’re bouncing them, you’re jostling them, they’re disillusioned, they’re confined. They’ll start to get labored up and generate warmth. It used to be stunning to have the ones colonies overheat when the outdoor temperature used to be so chilly. Now, as I stated, that used to be now not a trailer, however an enclosed field truck. Regardless that it’d be the similar state of affairs with an enclosed trailer.
My state of affairs used to be laughable. I needed to forestall at a kind of all-night meals shops and purchase all of the ice they’d. Whilst it used to be frigid outdoor, I needed to put ice on the ones colonies to calm them down. For those who use an enclosed trailer, even on a chilly day, you’ll nonetheless overheat the colonies and suffocate them on account of the jostling impact that they’re going via with all of that.

Jeff: To not pass off in this tangent however that tale strikes a chord in my memory of the time I used to be in Georgia, and I did a few articles on Wilbanks Apiaries. I used to be doing a piece of writing for Bee Tradition, and I used to be chatting with the landlord. He confirmed me round his queen-rearing facility. In fact, he does a large number of programs and he had specifically designed trailers for transferring programs of bees. They have been temperature managed. He can keep watch over the temperature within that enclosed trailer for his bees, which used to be a captivating idea, however addresses the fear or problems that you simply confronted.

Jim: The explanation I’m in this tangent is on account of the similar factor. A fellow beekeeper right here, who contract-hauls programs each and every Spring, has an environmentally managed trailer with doorways, lovers, vents and thermocouples, as a result of he principally says the weight is important. You’ll insure the trailer, and you’ll insure the truck, and elevate medical health insurance – however you’ll’t insure the reside bees. For those who overheat the ones bee programs, that’s a crisis. In his enclosed trailer he’s towing, he is aware of precisely what’s going down, temperature-wise, from the cab of his truck.

Jeff: That’s good. Talking of enclosed trailers, probably the most issues that I feel you’ve observed, and all beekeepers have observed in this day and age, some other people and particularly in Europe, they’re the use of trailers and AZ-type hives to transport bees round.

Jim: Isn’t that fascinating. I’ve most effective observed photos of that.

Jeff: I have a look at that and what I do know of AZ hives, I feel, boy, that might be in reality a good way of doing issues. I nonetheless to these days like the speculation of striking beehives on a trailer to make my lifestyles more straightforward as a beekeeper, a greater beekeeper, and the AZ hives may well be a great way to move. Hanging all of that right into a trailer could be incredible.

Jim: I need to pass just a little bit deeper down this rabbit hollow that you simply’ve began. [laughter] About sixty years in the past, a USDA researcher designed a trailer that allowed the platform mattress to be jacked up and brought off the cell trailer body. You place 4 legs down on every nook of the platform, jack the platform up, and raised the platform, with the hives, off the cell body of the trailer. Then pull that body out from beneath the platform and rancid you pass. You took this atypical searching, partial trailer-frame in the back of you leaving the platform and the hives on the cucumber box.

Jeff: That’s just like the container trailers that we see within the Pacific Northwest always. I’m positive they’re in every single place. You spot the ones with out the container on them. It’s only a body with wheels.

Jim: Sure.

Jeff: I love that concept.

Jim: Let me let you know the place it went. Let me let you know [laughter] why the researcher stated you don’t see such bee trailers. Whilst you’re going again to get your platform and its evening and the truck’s slipping, the entirety will have to be covered up precisely instantly. If the cell body moves both a kind of again legs, the platform dumps the colonies out of bed.

Jeff: Oh my gosh!

Jim: This very match took place and about 40 colonies both shifted or fell from the trailer deck. He had some photos of that 40-colony load of bees on that platform, tilted to 1 facet the place he by chance struck probably the most again legs. He made up our minds the danger used to be too nice. The speculation died.
Now there’s a Bankruptcy Two to this saga. Years in the past, I gave this identical description to a beekeeping target audience. To me, the target audience is all beekeepers, however in fact, they’re candlestick makers, squaddies, and now and again even airline pilots. My level is that they’re a mix of other people with a myriad of abilities. I didn’t know I used to be speaking to 2 skilled welders. From my lecture description, they made that very trailer design, however on a way smaller scale. They took the rear wheel hubs from an historical Oldsmobile Toronado. That used to be probably the most first front-wheel pressure vehicles.
You can decrease pipe legs at the corners of the trailer mattress and lift the deck off the body. There’s tactics to try this, however I received’t pass into it. Then, with the deck picked up, the wheels are off the bottom. You pull out a pin, pull the wheel hubs off, put the ones behind the truck. The tongue used to be additionally removable. You place that within the truck, too. Then in principle, you took the 2 wheels and the tongue again to the house apiary the place you had what? Different platforms. Then you definitely hauled 8 other colonies in different places. This design used to be for a small bee operation. That’s why I instructed you just a little in the past that I believed the variation between a trailer and a wagon used to be suspension.
The speculation didn’t pass any place. Now not since you knocked out the again legs, however for the reason that trip used to be so tough that we’re now again to fifteen miles an hour once more with out a suspension machine at the trailer. You almost about can’t use it to transport bees as it’s so tough at the colonies. This concept, this gorgeous, professionally made piece of kit – one among a type – by no means evolved. It used to be simply some other concept for other people exploring what beekeepers may just do with trailers to stay from having to dump and reload bee hives.

Jeff: Taking into account the quantity of mind energy that’s been put into that over time by way of quite a lot of beekeepers, I’m shocked there’s no simple, readily made answer in this day and age.

Jim: I need to end in this be aware. You probably have a large truck towing a big trailer and also you’re on a slender nation street attending to a beeyard, you higher be crystal transparent that that truck will make the flip throughout the gate that you simply’ve were given to move via to get to the place you’re going to drop the ones hives. As a result of one evening, way back, there used to be no approach – the geometry used to be all mistaken – that I may just get my giant truck to show with that lengthy trailer in the back of it to get via a slender farmgate.
We needed to unhitch the trailer within the street, dump the truck within the out-yard, deliver the empty truck again, take the hives off the trailer, load them at the truck, then take the truck to the drop-off web site and dump it once more. Numerous excellent it did to have a trailer in the back of the truck that evening. [laughter]
I like trailers. For those who don’t have a trailer in the back of you while you’re transferring bees, you’re simply now not doing all your task appropriately. In fact, I’m kidding. There are quirks to trailering. All trailers have them.

Jeff: I feel it comes right down to working out your use of that trailer and your beeyards. Now not most effective are you able to use that trailer to your beeyard or your a couple of beeyards in great sunny climate, however are you able to use that trailer in that beeyard at the worst conceivable days in the dead of night?

Jim: And do all of it on your own?

Jeff: Sure, on your own. It’s simply that now not each and every backyard is on a flat floor. It’s now not at all times going to be on a flat asphalt floor. It’s going to be on an perspective, it’s going to be rainy, it’s going to be within the dust and the bees aren’t going to feel free. We haven’t even mentioned how do you safe the beehives to the trailer?

Jim: That may be a completely other matter. Ratchet straps, hammers, staples. Don’t assume that the propolis seal will dangle that apparatus in combination. Don’t assume that the colony will keep in combination as it’s caught along with propolis. I’ve attempted that. You’ve were given to strap them, however now we’re off the topic. I love trailers, I need to use them for the entirety. For those who use them, they’re going to return with some quirks and caveats, however total, they come up with a broader side of beekeeping.
Jeff, I loved talking to you. Thank you for teaching me.

Dr. James E. Tew
Emeritus College, Entomology
The Ohio State College
[email protected]

Co-Host, Honey Bee
Obscura Podcast
www.honeybeeobscura.com