A Barrow Load of Bees.

This is the last beehive to make the move to the field. The acid test as to whether the bees have all made the move will be when I check its old hive stand in a few days time; it has been known for a cluster of lost bees to return to where their old home was and sit there in a huddle waiting for it to come back. I won’t be surprised if there are a few but will be upset if there are more than that. The roof, being rather heavy, makes the journey by itself; the two boxes with the crown board (effectively, the hive ceiling) and the floor make quite a heavy unit which I can’t split it up into smaller sections to transport separately. The crown board, which is actually a tray, contains a little over 4 kg of candy, sufficient to feed the bees for the next couple of months.
 
I don’t actually know just how heavy this hive is; but I can just about lift it off its stand safely, pivot on one heel and lower it gently to rest on the barrow; an operation that has to be reversed at the other end of the trip. There is a ready market for knackered wheel-barrows amongst bee keepers.
 
I should have done this yesterday, but had a sore back and a splitting head-ache which combined to break my 100% Blipping record for the year. There’s now just the last hive stand and the storage box with its contents to move.