Sending an empty beehive and beekeeping equipment via courier
Many people are keeping bees either as a hobby or for business and reselling purposes. Are you selling honey, honeycomb or you are moving the beehive a short distance and need the right shipping service? Here at Eurosender, we can arrange to transport your empty beehive, beekeeping equipment, hive frames, bee suits, honeycombs, honey and practically anything to the desired destination. Apart from providing you with an offer to transport am empty beehive or equipment by courier, we have also dedicated a section to give you the best beehive packing advice.
The cost of transporting an empty beehive
Sending beekeeping equipment, wax foundation and hive frames
Honeybees are crucial for the earth’s ecosystem, pollinating flowers and garden vegetables but apart from this, there are many health benefits from the honey and the propolis. If you are thinking of starting with apiculture, there is a whole process that you have to go through before you can harvest the honey. Similar as with agriculture, apiculture needs special tools and equipment for keeping and maintaining the space designated for the bees.
Depending on the dimensions and the volume of the desired shipment, with Eurosender, you can book standard shipping, have a special offer made for you if you are shipping larger volume, or book a Dedicated Van Delivery service when transporting a few empty beehives.
Standard shipping service –if you are shipping a regular-sized beehive frame, beehive clothing, beehive gloves or smaller tools we recommend choosing our standard shipping service. You can check whether the items you are shipping falls into this category with our size checker below.
Individual offer – If the package you intend to ship does not fall into the category for a standard shipment, you can request an individual offer and our agents will prepare you a price according to the dimensions, location and weight of your shipment.
Van Delivery Service – If you are just starting a beekeeping business and you need to transport a few empty beehives and beekeeping equipment, then, we recommend choosing the Van Delivery Service. By choosing this service, you can transport everything you need at once, by having the van filled only with the goods of your choosing.
Check the size of the beekeeping equipment to match the shipping method:
Packaging materials for beekeeping equipment
Before transporting beehives, you also need to take care of beekeeping supplies and their transportation to a new location. Luckily, packing beekeeping equipment is not very difficult, but you need to make sure that you have certain packaging materials.
- A cardboard box – we strongly recommend taking cardboard boxes to place honey extraction tools, protective clothing, smokers, and other beekeeping equipment inside it. This type of packaging ensures that all your items are placed together and are less likely to get lost or damaged during transit.
- Bubble wrap – it is used to cover sharp and fragile elements.
- Crumpled paper – it is used to ensure additional support when transporting the empty beehive and beekeeping equipment.
- Adhesive tape – it is used to secure loose parts and seal the box.
- Duct tape – before moving a beehive, you need to close its main entrance with duct tape. Alternatively, you can also take a piece of hardware cloth or screen to block the hive entrance.
Packing advice for beekeeping equipment
Once you have chosen the right shipping service, you will need to add the right protection for the beehive frames and tools. We recommend you consider these guidelines when preparing the shipment so to avoid any damage.
- Split the parts – if you have a detached beehive frame, or if you can detach the one you wish to transport, we recommend doing this. Having the frames detached is a more secure way to send beekeeping equipment by courier.
- Wrap them – wrap each part individually with bubble wrap. This is a good practice if you want the items to arrive without scratches on them.
- Place them in the box – once you have added the needed protection for the beekeeping equipment, you can now add the packing peanuts inside the package and add the parts inside. Fill the rest of the box with more peanuts so to avoid any movement of the items inside the box.
- Seal the box – the last part is to seal the package with adhesive tape.
Shipping beehive veils, gloves and suits by courier
Beekeeping may seem like an easy task to do until you need to do the regular check-up on the progress. For this part of the beekeeping process, you will need specially designed clothing to avoid getting stung by one of the bees. This type of apparel can be bought online, or some physical stores with such equipment, but not all sellers offer international shipping. Remember that arranging the right transportation for beehive clothing and getting it on time is important, therefore, we recommend contacting our agents to get the best offer and advice on how to ship beekeeping equipment with Eurosender.
FAQ about moving beehives
How to move beehives to another location?
If you are planning on moving a beehive to another location, we recommend doing it during wintertime. During cold weather, the bees stay inside the basket and will not fly out of the hive.
How far can I transport the beehive basket?
Bees remember location quite well. Therefore, if you are planning to transport the beehives a short distance you should do it in a range less of 1 meter or a bigger distance, or more specific, more than 5 km. This is important as the bees will try to find their nest on the old spot, get lost and die.
Would I need special equipment if I want to transport beehive to another location?
You will first need the specially designed apparel before preparing the basket for transport. Here is a list of several other things you need to keep in mind when transporting beehive to another location:
- You will need to block the entrance so the bees to stay inside. For this, you can use a piece of wood of the corresponding size that has no holes on it.
- Check for cracks on the box.
- Secure the cover boards and add buckle straps.
If you need more information on how to move beehives to another location or need additional packing advice for beehive transportation, our team is here to help you.
Take into consideration these guidelines when moving a beehive and shipping beekeeping equipment. Nevertheless, please consider that following them does not guarantee that the courier company will transport your package without restriction. In case you decide to ship a beehive, Eurosender will not be responsible for any damages caused by the transportation of your shipment.