Lifting/Moving Hives

Old Beekeeper

My Doc told me that I am too old to keep bees as I cannot lift the weight but what does she know as she is not a lifelong beekeeper. We have done a number of things like working a frame at a time, using a portable bench and a seat and carrying hives with a two person hive lifter. We have too many 10 frame boxes to replace with 5 frame boxes so we need some type of lift/cart to move hives to the out yards. Has anyone built or bought one that works well? Not ready to give up yet.

Native Honey Bee

Why not cover a wheelbarrow with a piece of ply? Screw a piece of 2"x 2" underneath the rear edge to stop it sliding forward. Works well for artificial / Pagden swarming too.

Knowall Macduff

Native Honey Bee wrote: »

Why not cover a wheelbarrow with a piece of ply? Screw a piece of 2"x 2" underneath the rear edge to stop it sliding forward. Works well for artificial / Pagden swarming too.

Wheel is too small, on top of the barrow is too high,prone too topple, mine is a wheelbarrow with the body removed and ply fitted on the frame instead but is very inclined to topple back if parked facing uphill so needs to be redesigned. I think Reesy has plans for one that works.

Galvium Irredentum

Ever thought of working horizontal hives? could your boxes be modified for a 'long hive' style? just a thought - determination begets ingenuity or somesuch

conor t

http://www.swienty.com/shop/vare.asp?side=0&vareid=100915B

Would something like that do

Kovu

We have something very similar to this - http://www.keeleyhire.co.uk/images/items/full/3558.jpg

It's technically a turf barrow, but it was handmade to spec for my fathers height etc. Would something like that work?