If you suddenly find you MUST move a hive quickly, I think the most valuable tools would be a helper and a BIG sheet. As in a white bedsheet you could set the whole thing on wrap it up and move it to the truck, in one step. Especially if you forgot you put a top box on the darn thing 3 weeks ago, and it is 10 pm on a muggy night and all the bees are on the front porch.
Lacking that I peeked in the lid of the top box and discovered an unconventional situation where I had hidden a pint feeder jar on top of the frames of the bottom box, and put 8 frames next to it, none of which the bees had touched to draw out, but they were guarding them all.
So, staple gun, BIG piece of screening, going to screen in that front porch. Right, 3 staples before I can see by the cloudy city night sky the bees are streaming out of the opening.
Went home. Got 4 hours sleep. Back next morning, wearing rubber boots with my heavy jeans shoved down in, bee jacket with the good wide wired hood (that's priceless) and rubber gloves. Forgot to duct tape the gloves to jacket sleeves. Forgot to duct tape boots to jeans.
Brought extra frames for the top box, so they wouldn't all fall, and a couple of telescoping covers. And a swarm trap nuc set between 2 telescoping nuc lids. With a tin can door closer by the hole. And the smoker I didn't bother with the night before
And because I can't afford a back injury I will have to split these boxes. Smoked hive, Opened lid, removed feed jar, dropped in w frames, and wow they glued the frames to those in the bottom box. Lid off, prying away with my italian hive tool to get the boxes separate, the bees are all still at home as the sun is about to rise, and they are not happy. got wax cut, top box on one telescoping cover, with its lid on. Put lid on bottom box. Now by this time there are bees in my gloves stinging my arms through my jacket, bees in my boots, and periodic light stings all over the blue jeans. Not my happy place but these bees are in the back yard of an elderly friend in a closely packed neighborhood and they have got to move, mosquito spray will arrive in 15 hours or so.
So Shoved in truck left windows up kept suit on and drove for home, not stopping for coffee or anything else. I did leave a nuc on the brick hive stand for the other bees to gather on.
I kept suited up, gloves and all, and no longer worried about alarm pheromone, if the bee appeared from somewhere to attack I just squished. Got them home, plopped bottom box on hive stand, top box in front of it with lid cracked, changed cover to a telescoping cover with a feeder hole and gave them a jar of feed, went in and applied bleach to the worst stings, then drove 25 miles back to Pantego. Took a small shopvac with me, and my beevac box. Turned out the shopvac wasn't strong enough for my vented box, so I just shopvacced guard bees off the nuc, and plugged the opening of the hose with napkins before taking off again, leaving the nuc. I let my friends chickens loose and fed them before I took off, having banished her from her back yard.
And when I got home I put the shop vac by the bottom box on the hive stand, pulled the hose out and watched them fly to their hive, then took off.
All went well, my chickens and dogs were not stung, these are European bees or I would have duct taped my gloves and boots. Well next time I set out to thoroughly ticking off any bees I think I am putting duct tape around the tops of both and sealing the little ladies out. I picked up about 13 severe stings and another 15 or so mild ones. Taking benadryl, not swelling bad.
I went back last night at 9 to pick up the nuc. Once again, bees bearding the front. I threw a sheet on the ground, stood behind nuc, picked up set in center of sheet and quickly folded the sheet around it starting with the front, carried to my pickup, set a rock on top of the folded corners on top and drove. Put in bee yard minus rock, used a pipe to gently loosen sheet this morning so they could all come out. Wasn't suited up.
I am looking to sell a couple of hives though. Too much excitement with remote locations, not enough fodder here. And frankly, it's just not that much fun when I probably won't get honey, and can't even breed my own queens... Soooooo..
that was yesterday. Still on benadryl. Still pretty sure I need to go down by 2 hives as soon as I know new queens are laying and all hives are stable.
