My eco solution to rat problems

[Toots]

I am planning to go ta a local...ish auction next month where they will be selling equipment and bees. If the nucs are not too expensive i may pick one up but from an experianced point of view how far should i travel with them?

 

The auction is about 1.5 ours away asuming good traffic on the M25 on a saturday... ricky i know but there are plenty of back routes!

 

Is this too far? I know they may be sent in various types of box (caardboard, cheap wood) does this affect my traveling times?

 

Thanks

 

Toots!

[Olly]

They should be fine - as long as the box is sealed! You can send bees through the post so a trip round the M25 should be ok. What you don't want is bees flying round your head while you're driving along ...

[Toots]

I did persume that they would be sealed. Driving with my veil on could be quite a challange!

[chickenanne]

It could be worth knocking together a plywood box, somthing with ventillation covered in fine mesh. Not to put the bees in directly, but to put whatever box the bees come in inside, in case it isn't as bee-proof as you'd like: it also means you could ventilate the box the bees are in without them being "at large" in your car on the motorway.

[Guest]

An hour and a half is nothing if packaged properly - think US and the distances they move bees!

 

The bees will likely have been closed in for the previous night.

 

If hot they may need a spray of water/weak sugar solution - depends on how they are packaged/ventilated, but at this time of year there should be no problems at all, as long as they are well ventilated.

 

Regards, RAB