How Commercial Beekeepers Move Bees
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- Ever wondered how large beekeeping operations move their bees around the country for build up and pollination? This is how we do it!!
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Finally, a commercial beekeeper on UA-cam who actually knows how to shoot some really nice video! Your videos are fantastic. Congrats on the new baby girl.
Lol!! Thank you!
Congratulations to you and your wife on your new baby daughter! Glad you're back making videos! 😉
Thank you!
Enjoyed the video. Congratulations on your new arrival. I hope to see you in Temple at the TBA conference.
Thanks! I plan to be there!
Going to pick up my first load of bees tomorrow and I’m excited and nervous
Congrats! Turn that nervousness into research and preparation and you’ll be fine 😎
Great vid. New viewer. I’ve seen other guys put sponges in the entrances to keep bees in the hives.
Thanks! What do they do about the field bees?
Hi Jake, Great videos! I’m a hobby beekeeper over here in Scotland uk and am planning to increase my own hive numbers from 15 to maybe 150 or 200 and still continue my full time work in the whisky industry. What I’m asking is how do you find the time to manage such a large number? Swarms etc? Also would it be possible to know, or for you to do a vid on your year hive management techniques? I do under that highlands of Scotland and Teaxs is wildly different and I would need to make changes to it. Kind regards Raefe
Thank you! In regards to a management video I think that's a great idea and will add to my list. I try to make my content as accessible to everyone as possible but have considered doing some more in depth things. You're right though, management practices look different for every location. Time wise, the reality is as you increase your colonies you're. going to need to increase your efficiency which sometimes means being a little more cut-throat with management. Basically you want to make the most of your time. I personally do not mess with swarms because they have such a high mortality rate, but they certainly are a great way to get new hives for free.
@@beefarmerjake many thanks for your reply! I look forward to the video. Just one last thing. How do you manage your hives for swarming or do you split and put a queen in? Once again many thanks.
We typically split and requeen everything in the spring.
Cool cheers
Well Done Jake...so interesting. :)
Thanks!
Good video! I’m looking to expand into commercial. Sort of “retirement” business with son. I enjoy your work.
Awesome! Thank you!
Do any of you use pickups and trailers to haul bees out or is it always a semi? Seems like a gooseneck would work too ? Interesting stuff.
A gooseneck would work but it's more about weight than space. These semis are rolling around at 80,000lbs regularly!
To bee continued. From there, bees are loaded on our flatbed truck and taken to multiple locations
Glad your back and thanks for the upload. The super on each colony, is that a standard thing you do for pollination contracts?
Also do melons produce much for a honey crop?
Glad to be back! We run double deeps on pretty much our entire operation. Has its challenges but works for us. The bees don’t produce any melon honey, they do however produce a little cotton honey off the neighboring fields that is quite nice.
Are you exempt like cattle haulers on hours you can drive?
Yep!
Lot of boxes. Question I have one hive can’t think of the work involved on your side. Why don’t you have a special screened door to cover the entrance with ventilation. That way when they are back in the apiary you remove it and they can take their bearings on the new location. Like the orientation flight
That's a great question. Basically we are just picky about when we move them (nights and cold weather) so we don't lose many bees moving them around. Sometimes we can cheat a bit and work at the time of day in this video. When on the truck with the net, some will come out during the ride and you will end up with some dead bees on the truck, but it's nothing significant. Then when unloaded they are also placed at night or in the cold weather, and will orient the next morning. The only thing we screen in our operation are our nucs because we will move them during the day. (and we just buy pro nucs with doors)
@@beefarmerjake I understand I was just seeing all the loose bees in the net and needed your protection. It was just a thought. But if it’s been working for you that is great. You should do a video if you haven’t already. How to manage that many hives. Thanks for the reply
How are the rates for watermelon pollination compared to California Almonds?
Anywhere from $40 and up haha. It's a huge range depending on the area and farmer.
Hey brother we have a stepdeck trailer. Interested in moving bees. We have the nets, I see mentions of bee boards can you tell me what those are
V-boards, basically 2 boards connected in parallel by cutting old straps and stapling them. You can look up pictures.
Biggest advice I can give to a new bee hauler is never forget you have someone’s livelihood on your trailer. Bees can roast on a trailer real quick if you don’t know what you’re doing. Find someone that has done it for years and ask lots of questions.
So basically edge protectors made from the 1x4 or 1x6 wood ?
Yep!
Hey Jake, y’all want any bees or equipment? I’m in west Texas
Hey, email me what you have at jake@moorehoney.com. Might be interested or know someone that is.
Why don’t you wear gloves?
2 of my guys were there, which is plenty to unload a semi. I just met the truck to take to the location and make a video about how we do it… I wasn’t actually doing a lot. Lol
How is your father Chris doing. I haven't talked to him in a while.
Doing well! Staying busy. We'll get him to slow down one day.