On Thu, 1 Dec 1994, Dave Green, Eastern Pollinator Newsletter wrote:
 
>    A closed van might be a great thing when you are caught in a thunderstorm
> with a load of supers, but it is very risky for hauling bees. The east coast
 
Right, I would be concerned about hauling more than a few hives in a
van.
 
As I mentioned before, I did send a full reefer - 400+ doubles - as I
recall - to Arizona once, and I received no complaint about their
condition, but preparing the reefer ventillation ducts was work and
loading it (from the end rather than the sides) was slow.  The access was
restricted - only one truck could be there at a time.
 
This latter matter is also the major problem I can forsee with using a van
to pull honey - if the truck is full of empties, how do you get past them
to load the full ones!??
 
With a flat deck, access is available anywhere along the sides.  Several
crews can load at the same time.
 
>    I can tell you some real horror stories of reefer breakdowns, of truckers
> with girlfriends en route, even though they left the reefers running.  I know
> of one entire load lost, simply because it was parked for eight hours with
> the reefer running. All the bees left the hives, and were hanging on the
> walls and ceiling. The owner scooped up bees with a grain shovel and put some
> back into each hive, but the brood was dead, and even with all new queens, he
> still lost almost all the hives.
 
If you did this with a flat deck on a warm day - even with screens or
nets, I should think this would get very messy.
 
Twenty years or so ago, I hauled bees in an open truck from Southern
Ontario to Alberta - some 2000 miles - in May.  The bees were okay, but
we lost quite a few bees (but no hives), and the brood was damaged somewhat
due to loss of temperature regulation and shortage of water.  They went
on to be splittable and produced fine, but, them we did not sit anywhere
during the day.
 
>     Just recently a load arrived that had been parked for two days on an open
> flatbed in below freezing weather, so maybe it isn't just heat.  He had many
> more dead bees than I would regard as acceptable on the bed of the truck. I
> suspect that lack of ventilation caused a carbon dioxide build up in the
> lower tiers.
 
Hmmm.  Interesting.  We haul bees all over the place in below freezing
weather and suffer little loss - but they are well fed - 60kg or so in two
broods and already settled down for the winter (no brood).  I've noticed
that if hives are light, that they don't respond to moving as well and
tend to be less quiet on the truck.
 
The bees you mention must have been very densely packed.  Our entrances
protrude two inches minimum and there are auger holes in each box.  In
cold weather, the air requirements aren't too great.
 
If bees were to come to the entrance and freeze and thus block it there
could be problems in tight equipment - (not mine :-)
 
I just wrapped my last hive yesterday - temperatures in the minus 15 to
-5 degrees Celcius range.  Due to uneven numbers of hives in different
yards, we had bees on the open flat deck - unscreened - for several days
in some cases - while we went from yard to yard, and most of the time one
would not even know there were bees on the truck.  We were able to stop
in town to pick up supplies without even a bee flying.  On arrival, there
were very few dead bees on the doorstep.
 
On initial disturbance, they came out and clustered on the auger holes,
but then retreated and paid no more attention while being carted several
hundered miles in total, with many long stops including overnights.  I
have never been able to see any more loss in hives that have been hauled
around thusly compared to the ones which were just sitting in the yards.
I however suspect that they might consume a bit more food.
 
You might wonder why so late packing - there is snow on the ground.  It
is partly due to the shortage of help, the intrusion of other work, and
also the fact that it is easier when the bees are settled down.
 
I've found little difference in success between those wrapped in
October and those wrapped in December.  Packing isn't necessary until
they start to raise brood - then it is essential.
 
We lose the poor colonies early in the winter (just as well).  BUT we lose
the good ones in February (if they are not well packed and fed).
 
The reason is that when the days start to lengthen, the bees start to
brood up.  At that point, they become much less adapable.  The adults are
aging.  The brood needs a lot of energy - food and heat.  If the weather
goes to minus forty at night or so for a week or more - which often
happens here in Feb, the bees cannot get to their food unless they are
well provisioned and well protected from any winds.  The cold is not a huge
problem, but any big drafts can be.
 
I am not *sure* how important side insulation is, but top insulation is
essential as is some sort of side wrap to close cracks - in Alberta anyhow.
 
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                      VE6CFK
Rural Route One, Swalwell,  Alberta  Canada  T0M 1Y0
Phone/Fax: 403 546 2588      Email: [log in to unmask]