Moving Bees By Hand

[@rockd8946]

Saw you at the Greenville TN conference Aug 9-10 EXCELLENT conference… thank you for all your detailed video and time you put in on helping others.. a real blessing. 🐝

[@KeesHoneyBees]

Bob it’s always great how you go into detail about the little things that can make a big difference and allow us to learn from your experience, ex/ the paint you use, the hive lifter. Thank you so much for the extra effort you put into these videos. You have a naturally great teaching skill, you make it feel like it’s just a talk between two friends !

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks 👍

[@roberthendersoniii5230]

New guy,…I’m quickly learning how thorough and detailed you are in explanation of your methodology.

[@arum236]

i've personally been using eco-wood treatments for the last 7 years and I do love the simple application & low to zero toxicity

[@kennith.]

Nice hive carrying tool. Thank you for sharing all your information and experience with us.

[@DialedN_07]

I watch every one of your videos because even if the title doesn't appeal to me specifically, there is ALWAYS something great to be learned. Please continue with the videos, they are much appreciated.

[@RaysBeesandHoney]

Another awesome informational video. You’re style and demeanor makes it feel like your with friends . Incredibly comfortable. Thank you

[@pauliebaker2534]

I love the hive carry tool. I've been using two oak boards and two ratchet straps . It works but is time consuming. I only move a dozen or so a year

[@kylejackson7119]

Thanks for another nice video and sharing with us, God bless

[@thebeesmith9746]

Always a tid bit or two of information I learn when watching your vdeos. Thanks for putting them out. I look forward to coffee with Bob on Sunday mornings...

[@DialedN_07]

First video I've ever watched where something was strapped down and someone didn't say "that ain't goin nowhere" 😂

[@lenturtle7954]

Ive had great results painting pine shingle roofs with 1/3 oil paint with 1/3 linseed oil and 1/3 varsol . It soaks in and lasts for at least 15 years before needing to be repainted with the same mix . Ive also dipped garden stakes in it and they last 2o years partially in the ground. I might try it on some supers to see how it works . We have had great results with using a couple coats of good quality oil paint without primer . Thanks for the early morning video .

[@tomislavkefelja4227]

Greetings from Croatia. An irreplaceable tool for transporting things, especially on inaccessible terrain where you can't get close to trucks, trailers and handcarts. Ideal for beekeepers because everything is done easily, quickly and in silence, which you will surely admit is the most important thing in the apiary. The only drawback of this tool is that it requires two beekeepers. In Croatia, we have been using this tool for several centuries, not only for beehives, but also for stones, crates, wooden blocks, etc... Admittedly, the earlier versions of this tool were made of wood, while the modern ones are made of strong steel or aluminum. Personally, I have had this tool for more than a decade, but until now I have not had the opportunity to make a video, because there were always only two of us when moving the apiary.

[@Bluegrass499]

Always enjoy, and learn to apply the knowledge you share. Thank you Bob

[@chuckgross6024]

I like your home made tool better as well. I agree it's got to be the handle location that makes it more comfortable to use.

[@aileensmith3062]

As always interesting videos. No plans on moving hives. Should we ever well we now know some good solid basics in doing such! Thank You!

[@nancynolton6079]

Bob you could make those hive lift tool in the shop... I'd purchase a Bob Bennie version of a hive lifter... bring 'em to the Expo next year!

[@doughavron]

A lot of GREAT info there!

[@beebob1279]

I made one out of 2x4's years ago when I was trying to expand to five yards. The store one was too expensive so out came the saw, screws, and hinges and built one to fit. I still have it in the storage trailer at a farm where my bees are kept.

[@bobbinnie9872]

I've seen wooden ones before that worked quite well.

[@rochrich1223]

Way back in the day, hot linseed oil "boiled" when you added the lead dioxide. (white lead pigment, the best of which used the "Dutch" method, thus Dutch Boy paint.) Lead was all over the place for at least a century. Lead paint, window caulk, varnish. Zinc galvanizing had up to 2% lead up to the 1950s,

[@bub1683]

Always good painted boxes. Bob Binnie style ;)

[@timfeckley1689]

Good morning Bob. I use water proofing membrane for drywall and concrete for wet locations dries within an hour and protection is great along with exterior porch and floor paint,my boxes are osb pulled from construction site dumpsters,I have some that are 3 yrs old and are just as good as the day I built them. Hope you received the email about the barrels

[@ROD_OF_IRON]

Good video Bob thanks again I like that device

[@hillkid4mountains]

QqNice video. Brings back memories of making my own boxes and moving them by hand. I used galvanized twist spiral nails and glue to put together my boxes. Though I have used a hive lifter once before, it didn't work after I started putting 2" x 16" - 1/4 inch cleat hand holds on the front and back of my boxes. Always had a problem with the factory made dado hand grips. They were hard for me with gloves on and whoever, my son, I would get to load and offload them in Almond and prune pollination. Plus the wood is only 3/8" thick in those spots and prone to splitting. Also I would get Black widows around my hives and the western red paper wasp in those handholds between my boxes pushed together on my homemade 4 way pallets. I now make or order deep boxes specifically without hand holds and select big knot free wood. Plus I make a different kind of bottom board than the one used by most people designed by a very experienced commercial beekeeper from our club. I do use cedar migratory lids dipped in paraffin and pine resin with a little bit of beeswax. I have dipped my boxes in this hot wax before but after a couple of years stopped because they get too weathered for me and can begin to curl on the top or bottom outside corners. I paint them pretty much like you do but 5q0% by hand at first do to the end grain of the finger joints along with the front and back sides. Then I stack them 4 or 5 high and use an airless sprayer for a second finish coat with the same paint, linseed oil, and copper napthenate in green or brown. I do use MDO pallets like you do but a little longer, 48" long by 32" - 1/2 inch wide two pieces of 3/4" 7 ply MDO but with U shape metal clips instead. Widow, wasp, and fallen debris between the boxes problems again and they are dipped/stacked too. Have always liked the way you made your own things for your bee business in the past too. The 55 gal. barrel lifter, the design/construction of your truck beds, and this homemade hive lifter out of steel 3/4" pipe in your video. Thanks again for another interesting part of your working honeybee operation in your area of Georgia. Good luck in 2024. 🐝

[@bobbinnie9872]

Good comment, thanks.

[@wpankey57]

Seth sure is a good guy to have on your team.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Agreed!

[@jeremyclements356]

Mr Bob do you have any videos on how and what you use to set up your bear fence for as height etc...

[@bobbinnie9872]

"How To Protect Bees From Bears". kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWmQpaCroaqlg6M

[@jeremyclements356]

Thank you so much Mr Bob .I live in south louisiana and the bears are terrible where I live.

[@bradgoliphant]

Bob another amazing treatment that seals boxes for decades without rot is Eco Wood Treatment! I see you just mentioned it.

[@mcorne8134]

On laying worker colonies- you shake them out and they migrate to other colonies? Have you ever tried to newspaper a laying working colony with a Q right colony? If so, does it work?

[@bobbinnie9872]

They do migrate to other colonies nearby but the newspaper method works well too. If it's a weak laying worker colony and a strong colony being stacked on the newspaper is not necessary.

[@Swampsquash]

Bob, thanks for the recipe! I want to dip some pallets, but being a smaller sideliner thats gonna be tricky, ntm the amount I wld have to make up(there's no way I'd use it all). Can it be brushed on with any sucess? Or if it has to be dipped can I pour the left over in a container and use it again at a later date?

[@bobbinnie9872]

I think brushing on would work or at least help. We dip our pallets in cut down 250 gallon plastic totes.

[@RaysBeesandHoney]

I have the store bought carrier. Works great. Could you post the ring oil dipping recipe? How long does the dip last? The eco wood doesn’t last long .

[@bobbinnie9872]

Our recipe is one part CuNap 8%, 2 parts raw linseed oil and six parts mineral spirits. We store the left over in five gallon buckets and keep it until the following year. It has to be well stirred though.

[@MerrittHoney]

Hey Bob! I have got to get my beehive lifter cart up there for you to play with. Cali trip went well. Blizzard in the Sierras the day I flew back. Bees should be home soon 😊

[@bobbinnie9872]

I was wondering about California after watching the weather. Glad it went well.👍

[@andywhite9932]

One question about dipping your boxes. The copper napthenate and linseed oil penetrate the wood in as little as 5 seconds?

[@bobbinnie9872]

When we stack it up it is soaking wet and continues to soak in for a few minutes.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Good stuff Bob, thanks!

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks. I hope all the bees were good. Been meaning to ask.

[@williammiller5449]

Did you put anything in the hive entrances (e.g.; pieces of screen) to keep the bees in the boxes?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Screens are not needed if the colonies are moved in the dark, especially in cooler weather.

[@MAQ123]

350, for 2 deeps with equipment, even for polish price levels that seems quite moderate price

[@lenturtle7954]

Its around 300 us for a 5 frame nuc in our area of Saskatchewan Thats a steal .

[@deanmalkewich2366]

@@lenturtle7954good strong doubles, should yield at least a couple nucs, leaving enough behind to recover in time for a honey crop. At $350US(about $500CDN) that’s a pretty fair deal.

[@timmorris7022]

I discovered the hive moving tool after moving hives around my first two years of beekeeping.Really makes it a lot easier and less awkward when walking and placing in the truck.Every bee club should have one . I use cypress boxes when i can and i never paint them.What are your experiences with cypress?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Cypress is great in my experience. I've got a couple of boxes that are 50 years old. I still paint it though.

[@kentuckybeekeeper2037]

Bob was wondering if you can do a video on your pallet hand truck? The one Seth was using as in dimensions wheel size and so forth. Thx

[@hermitholllerhomestead2080]

Thanks for continuing to put out great content. Even though I am just a "backyard beekeeper" I find a lot of the information you share applicable to my situation. A question about the CuNap. I avoid pesticides and have been treatment free since I started as a beek 4 years ago. All my stock is from using bait hives. My overwintering rate is 79%. So, do you dip your boxes inside and out? If I brushed CuNap just onto the outside surfaces of the boxes, would you think that would be almost as good as dipping them? Thanks.

[@bobbinnie9872]

I think the most important surface is actually the edges and end grain. I think brushing the entire inside is probably not as important.

[@kevinvasquez1843]

How many colonies did you start with when you moved to the East coast?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Only 30 but I expanded fast.

[@abstract1dea]

Do you not cover the entrance so you don't lose bees? The carrying jig makes it look pretty easy. I think I may get one of those from you so we can move hives for sourwood this year. Thank you for this video.

[@bobbinnie9872]

If we move them at night they won't fly off so screening isn't needed. Bees see worse than we do in the dark.

[@altaylor293]

Great info Bob. I understand the cutting back a little. 1000 hives is still a lot of bees. Question - Does the hive lifter work with all sizes of boxes, 10-8-5?

[@russellkoopman3004]

I have the boughten one Bob has purchased from Mann Lake and I've used it on 10, 8, 6, and 5 frame nucs. The smaller boxes could sway I suppose, but I've never had an issue.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Works good with all three sizes.

[@kathyhathaway8823]

That is close to getting warm while working with fire wood . It heats you up four times. While you cut it , while you split it, while you load it , an while you burn it. Yep the faster you load bee hives by hand the warmer you get but not your hands lol. I wish you had eight frames hives . By you down sizing does that cut down on the amount of nucs you sale per season. Thanks

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Kathy. We'll probably sell the same amount of nucs next year but will sell less colonies.

[@reck9953]

Bob, Do you treat the hive stands that you make out of landscape timbers?

[@bobbinnie9872]

We use land scape timbers but also dip them in 50% used motor oil (free) and 50% off road diesel fuel.

[@mikedean1558]

Gday Bob, do you always leave the entrance open when moving your bees? Thanks. Mike.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Mike. Almost always. Screens are not needed when moving them in the dark and especially in cool weather.

[@R_Brickner]

Another great video Bob. Where do you source your materials for the box dipping?

[@bobbinnie9872]

We purchase the raw linseed oil in drums from Lintech in Byron, GA., the CuNap from Mann Lake and the mineral spirits by the drum from an oil company in Gainesville, GA.

[@barrackndegwa9097]

My hives are under trees in a eucalyptus tree plantation. These seem to be in an open space next to a plantation. What advise do you have for me

[@bobbinnie9872]

If it's a hot area it's probably fine. If it's not a sunny spot would help.

[@alhambraorchardapiary4882]

Do you dip honey supers as well? Or just brood chambers?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes, but we add a bit more mineral spirits for a weaker (and cheaper) mix.

[@ГлебПисаренко-х6ь]

СПАСИБО! THANKS

[@markbooth8458]

Hello Bob. How's the paint building coming along. I was painting some equipment yesterday. I really like y'all's painted equipment, because y'all do a better job than I do myself. Plus I hate painting equipment for some reason.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Mark. The cement slab is finished but it's still a couple of weeks before the building comes.

[@carloscrenz9433]

Hola colega que lindo es verlo con sus colmenas 😅

[@عبداللطيفالمطلق-ط6ذ]

الرافعة ممتازة جداً تسهل العمل في نقل الخلايا.

[@dennisbarney869]

Hello Bob, At $30.00 a board I repair any box I need to, If I see a construction site I stop and ask if I can dig through the dumpster for wood Its to expensive not to for me. Do you think that wood that already has paint on it can be used on the inside of a bee box. I picked up 12 plywood cabinet doors but its painted on both sides. I understand that ply is not the best to use but if I can get 8+ years out of a box at not cost for wood I'm ahead of the game I am more afraid to use used boxes than plywood. Anyway thanks for the Sunday vid.

[@bobbinnie9872]

I purchased some used equipment that was painted on the inside and didn't notice any issues.

[@williamford8094]

I have Cedar boards 10in x 1in , only cut 3 days ago, was told I don't need to treat this wood , is this true ?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes, both eastern red cedar and western red cedar are fairly rot resistant.

[@ГерманПчеловод]

Goog idea!

[@KylieBainbridge]

What's the name for the tool used to move hives like this?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hive carrier. We sell them in our store if interested. 706 782 6722.

[@KylieBainbridge]

I live in Australia, never seen them here.

[@jamesgrant54]

Funny you say you use an oil based primer, here in Australia everyone will tell you to use a water based primer sealer and a water based exterior paint. I do this and have had boxes start to rot within 3 years

[@bobbinnie9872]

I've used both and have better luck with the oil base primer.

[@robertdemers5125]

Good Morning Bob !

[@bobbinnie9872]

Good morning sir !

[@BrianJMader54476]

👍

[@framcesmoore]

Ha Bob so good to see you, wow Bob 350. is very cheap. Boxes and everything wow. They sell nukes here for 250.00 at least that is what the price was last year. If you do not mind me asking why are you cutting back you have great help. Hope you have a blessed week

[@aaronparis4714]

That’s not cheap I think that’s very fair and 250 a nuc that’s highway robbery I’ll sell a Canadian over winter nuc for free 😂

[@NevadaBeeMan-nq3po]

@@aaronparis4714 not trying to pick a fight sir but nothing in this world is free .. everything comes with hard work and there is always. A little money involved Nucs in my area go for 189-200$

[@framcesmoore]

@@aaronparis4714 Bobs price is real cheap u get the hole hive boxes he has frame feeders in them as well. The lids and the bottom boards he makes them with that real expensive board, plus they are production hives you would pay 500 here for a production hive. He could had sold them for a hole lot more.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Frances. Colonies, nucs and packages tend to go for less in the southeast. I always hear about higher prices as you go north. I turned 70 last year and I don't want to work as much. All good. And yes, you are right about the premium equipment. 👍

[@almoustaphamahjoubi9562]

Zikomo chifukwa chophweka ndi zothandiza njira yosavuta mlimi

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Sweat equity

[@bobbinnie9872]

A term I use a lot!

[@ryanwhite8022]

Where can I get one of those hive lifters?

[@bobbinnie9872]

You could order one from us or probably find it in many of the bigger bee supply catalogs. Our number is 706 782 6722.

[@ryanwhite8022]

@@bobbinnie9872 I am in Ontario Canada. We don't seem to have the resources here like it seems you have in the states. I will give your store a call. Thank you. I am traveling to Tennessee in May for 2 weeks. Any suggestions on good bee places I can checkbout there?

[@babybeeapiaries8667]

First, lol. Thanks Bob.

[@dominicanbeekeeper6686]

😂🎉

[@tajammulshah7120]

I am also beekeeper and have ten years experience in bees. I interested

[@jonathankhersonsky6363]

why arent they flying at you and stinging your face? Any time I work or move bees at night I have to tape the entrance

[@bobbinnie9872]

It was cold that night.

[@davidmcleod6032]

Billy Engle would say that it should be a crime to not paint boxes white.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes he would. I also heard say it's a borderline sin. 😇

[@NevadaBeeMan-nq3po]

Sad to see your cutting back on the bees Bob!! I religiously watch your videos

[@bobbinnie9872]

Not quite finished yet. Just want to work a little less.

[@sidelinerbeekeeper]

Hive guard is a blend of microcrystaline and paraffin. Dipping at 300⁰F for 2 minutes is all that is required. A box can't be painted in two minutes and put bees in it 5 minutes later after it cools. Cost of labor is actually less to dip. On the topic of cheaper, $0.80 cents a box to dip in wax. It used to cost me $2.80 for stain to air spray (spray uses 25% more product lost in the air transfer vs brush on) after Texas had their freeze and lost their resin stock pile, or at least that was the excuse, causing paint prices to skyrocket here in Canada. One of the products you mentioned is food compliant, and the other is not according to the labels. Copper salts may not hurt the bees, but it's not good for humans (honey contamination). If painting, oil is better because oil displaces/repels water(thats what oil does), better than water-based. Stain is better again because it soaks into the wood acting as a sealer, whereas paint does not, two different technologies. Canadian pricing.

[@jovanvujovic3932]

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