Moving this Mega Hive?

[squidink]

Hi peoples,

I have to move house and the mega hive (double queen hive) has to move as well.
In peoples opinions whats going to be the best way to move it?

Each brood box is full of bee's and brood and the 3 middle 1/2 supers are full of capped honey.

I have enough hives and don't wish to dive and make up more but was thinking turning this back into 2 separate hives.

Should i smoke em and move it at night time?

I am in Melbourne, Victoria and was thinking on how much to divide the honey supers? one each , (1 for each hive and 1 for me?)

Thanks for your input.

Ben

[bernsad]

I've got to wonder why you would build that? It seems to me a lot of work to pull the top brood boxes off from head height every time you want to check or harvest the supers. I'd be reducing it back to two seperate hives, if only for the move.

[Grieth]

If it were me I would
Reduce to two double deeps,  and harvest the 3 ideals.
Later shake the bees into each respective bottom deep and put excluder over it,  as first step of packing down for winter
Check brood and stores to decide if you will winter in one or two deeps (there is still time for brood in top deep to hatch before winter,  Andin the city even have some honey backfilled,  or you can feed if you need to for enough stores)
Remove excluder on last inspection before winter

But then I am sure there are other options

Good luck

[squidink]

Bernsad don't knock it till you have tried it!  :mrgreen:


This double hive seriously pulls in the honey with almost 80kg in the last couple of months. It would not be a problem if I did not have to move!

Thanks for your input grieth!

I'm still not sure how I will tackle the move but I will take photos!

Ben

[ShaneJ]

How far are you moving it? I would suggest keeping it simple and use some ratchet straps to straps some boards up either side and then use a sack trolly of some kind to move it.

[the-ecohouse.com]

hi shanej

am i to assume that this is two boxes of brood an excluder then three ideas for honey then another excluder? then two more brood boxs? is that how this setup works?

[ShaneJ]

Not me, its him.

[squidink]

I did think about moving it like that but I have to transport over 10 km and I would not be able to get it on the ute! 

Eco, during the nectar flow before Christmas I even had another full size honey super in the middle!

It may seem silly but this double queen hive really does work well. It's all based on the theory of a hive with 100,000 bees is better than 2 hives with 60,000 ea.

The only negative is well... Moving it!

[Grieth]

Put a roof on top two boxes,  and bottomboard on that roof,  under the 3 ideals,  then roof and bottomboard between ideals and top two deeps.
That night close them all,  transport,  restack and reopen.   Next day remove excess roofs and bottoms.

Did this with a hive that was too heavy for me  to lug up a hill once,  breaking  into into single deeps: all went well on reuniting  next day.

[bernsad]

squidink, you must be a strapping lad, I complain about working the hive at 4 deep boxes and yours is considerably taller than that. I didn't realise I was that soft.

[the-ecohouse.com]

i like it, much the same as my multi-hive setups

[Birdswood]

Eco, do you use this stacked configuration or the brood supers side by side with the honey supers on top?

Leigh

[the-ecohouse.com]

hey birdswood

brood boxes side by side with honey supers on top

[Lone]

Squid,

My only suggestion is...have a working bee!  You might be able to find a troupe or two of boy scouts to lift it.  And a crane.  And some folks to stand and watch the proceedings.  Don't forget to film it..it might be entertaining.

Lone..glad to be of service.

[squidink]

Sorry Lone I had no takers that would film it!

The whole move was interesting i copped 27 stings !

I turned the bottom 2 and top 2 boxes into separate hives whilst I transferred the middle 3 honey supers (still ful of bees) as a hive... This is where it went interesting! I moved them an hour away to the Yarra Valley in Vic, I got the 2 hives off and into thier winter position fine but I have other hives on the property which could do with honey stores for winter so I smoked 3 hives put newspaper on the hives and disassembled the 3real size honey supers well as they were still full of bees they were mega angry from their late evening travel and did they get me! Not sure how but I got stung on my neck!

Bees have all settled now and 2 days later I'm still a bit itchy!

Ben

[Lone]

Sorry Lone I had no takers that would film it!

The world has missed out on a man on the moon moment.. :-x

Are you having bees at your new home?

Lone

[squidink]

lol

Cant have bees at the new place, no where safe to have them unlike the last place.. i have some young kiddies! :lol: