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New Zealand Beekeeping Questions
Inter-island transport in December?
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<blockquote data-quote="John B" data-source="post: 7994" data-attributes="member: 207"><p>The problem is not so much the heat but the fact that when bees get hot they attempt to cool the hive by fanning. If there is insufficient is circulation then all the fanning does is create more heat. The hotter they get the more they fan and the more heat they produce. The final act is the bees regurgitating whatever they have in their stomachs followed very rapidly by death. It ain't pretty and it absolutely can and has happened with truckloads of covered bees and planes full of packages.</p><p>I have never taken bees across Cook Strait but I would imagine that you could try a refrigerated freight truck.</p><p>If I was going to attempt it in a private vehicle I would have fully ventilated screen boards top and bottom with everything screwed and stapled together as the bees would not be happy if they got out. Given plenty of airflow and absolutely kept out of direct sunshine I would expect them to survive the journey.</p><p>It would be a good idea to have some ice packed around them especially when parked on the ferry. Far better to get them a bit cold than a bit hot. Misting periodically with cold water would also help</p><p>I transport a lot of cell raises with just bottom ventilation on some very hot days and I have only once lost any to heat and that was an unbelievably hot day. Even then as soon as I put them in the shade I had no further losses. The stronger the hive of course the more heat it will produce and the more ventilation it will need. Don't expect them to be overly friendly when you let them out at the other end.</p><p>Make sure they have enough stores to last the journey but I would not feed them on the journey. In the early days bees came to New Zealand on sailing ships through the tropics so I don't see why you couldn't get them from the North Island to the South Island.</p><p>Just remember, if you shut them in any sort of a vehicle without ventilation then you can expect them to die quickly and horribly. Good luck.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="John B, post: 7994, member: 207"] The problem is not so much the heat but the fact that when bees get hot they attempt to cool the hive by fanning. If there is insufficient is circulation then all the fanning does is create more heat. The hotter they get the more they fan and the more heat they produce. The final act is the bees regurgitating whatever they have in their stomachs followed very rapidly by death. It ain't pretty and it absolutely can and has happened with truckloads of covered bees and planes full of packages. I have never taken bees across Cook Strait but I would imagine that you could try a refrigerated freight truck. If I was going to attempt it in a private vehicle I would have fully ventilated screen boards top and bottom with everything screwed and stapled together as the bees would not be happy if they got out. Given plenty of airflow and absolutely kept out of direct sunshine I would expect them to survive the journey. It would be a good idea to have some ice packed around them especially when parked on the ferry. Far better to get them a bit cold than a bit hot. Misting periodically with cold water would also help I transport a lot of cell raises with just bottom ventilation on some very hot days and I have only once lost any to heat and that was an unbelievably hot day. Even then as soon as I put them in the shade I had no further losses. The stronger the hive of course the more heat it will produce and the more ventilation it will need. Don't expect them to be overly friendly when you let them out at the other end. Make sure they have enough stores to last the journey but I would not feed them on the journey. In the early days bees came to New Zealand on sailing ships through the tropics so I don't see why you couldn't get them from the North Island to the South Island. Just remember, if you shut them in any sort of a vehicle without ventilation then you can expect them to die quickly and horribly. Good luck. [/QUOTE]
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Inter-island transport in December?
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