Pallets moved to the farm

4-14-17 Hives moved to the farm.

I got a little time today to move the pallet hives out to the farm.  These are just the hive bodies in place.  I’ll move frames into them when my grafted queens are ready to join them.  I’ll get the frames and bees from hives at home.

Hive pallets finished

4-10-17 Hive pallets

This spring I decided to build pallets for the hives headed to the farm.   Over time this will be a more manageable way to move the hives.  In the short term, it’s a stable base that holds two hives at once, perfect for life in the field.  The pallet is made from treated lumber and exterior grade plywood.  Each side has its own entrance in front with a matching length to a double nuc allowing me to use the same entrance reducers with them.  The pallet has retainer clips that align and hold the hive bodies in place.  I’ll get these installed in their new home soon.

Housekeeping day

This appears to be the first big day of housekeeping this spring.  The hives are looking good so far, taking out the trash and bathroom breaks.