Palleted Hives?

[RogueDrone]

Just been reading about colonies /hives in the Almond orchards in the states. They put four hives on a pallet entrances N.S.E.W. so to speak anyone on here use this system.

I assume they just stack the suppers on and forget until honey harvest.

is it practical in UK

probably one for the commercial BKs

Colin

 

[Finman]

I assume they just stack the suppers on and forget until honey harvest.

They move hives from pasture to pasture. They harvest pollination fees.

I just read about yard which was moved 8 times in 10 months.

.

 

[BeeNice]

Don't do it, you can't get the varroa boards out!

 

[itma]

Just been reading about colonies /hives in the Almond orchards in the states. They put four hives on a pallet entrances N.S.E.W. so to speak anyone on here use this system.

I assume they just stack the suppers on and forget until honey harvest.

is it practical in UK

probably one for the commercial BKs

Colin

You can hear about it on Radio 4 next Tuesday. (see the thread in the Media section).

But bees in the almond monoculture is not about honey. Its about pollination fees.
The programme notes speak of 1.5 million hives being moved in for the few weeks of the almond blossom.
Palletisation would be about making loading and unloading quicker and cheaper.
Varroa inspection boards ...?

 

[mbc]

I assume they just stack the suppers on and forget until honey harvest.

Why?
Its possible to work each hive from the side as usual (if the frames are 'cold' way)

 

[RogueDrone]

Why?
Its possible to work each hive from the side as usual (if the frames are 'cold' way)

I was just thinking aloud, Having 4 colonies on a metre square sound good bar when inspecting. You would be standing by the entrance of the next hive whilst doing each, does not sound ideal.

If you have hundreds of hives how can you reasonable inspected them all weekly / fortnightly. So a fresh queen and plenty of room to me would be the way to go as a comercial unit.

 

[Russel]

I was just thinking aloud, Having 4 colonies on a metre square sound good bar when inspecting. You would be standing by the entrance of the next hive whilst doing each, does not sound ideal.

If you have hundreds of hives how can you reasonable inspected them all weekly / fortnightly. So a fresh queen and plenty of room to me would be the way to go as a comercial unit.

Do the USA commercial beeks use the same inspection regime that we amateurs in the UK do? Given the logistics probably not, maybe just lift/tilt a box to check for queens cells and let them get on with it, until it's time to move to the next job.

 

[ashleybee]

My Uncle and myself both have hives on pallets but we don't have entrances N E S W we have them 2 forwards and 2 backwards and frames the cold way. There not too bad to inspect but as already said if you need to move them then its the most practical way. obviously we get a bit of drift with the entrances right next to each other but as of yet it's not caused any problems.
AB

 

[iand]

I was just thinking aloud, Having 4 colonies on a metre square sound good bar when inspecting. You would be standing by the entrance of the next hive whilst doing each, does not sound ideal.

They are langstroth hives so entrances are on two sides, work done on the other two sides.