Many honey lovers are likely unaware of the lengths honey producers go to for ensuring top quality produce.
Beehives need to be regularly moved from location to location, to keep the bees healthy and to make honey while providing a vital pollination service for crops in the process.
Third generation apiarist, Ashley Smith, from Lakeside Honey, works with father Eric in owning and managing more than 1000 hives, providing their honey to brands such as Capilano and Archibald honey.
Based in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, the Smiths are regularly on the road moving hives to chase flower blooms – the purchase of their new Euro6 ML 180 (18t GVM) with sleeper cab makes this task easier and more efficient with the vehicle having replaced a smaller 8t GVM truck.
“Typically, the hives need to be relocated every six to eight weeks to keep the bees from running out of nectar,” says Ashley.
“We regularly travel to different locations in regional Victoria in search of flowering trees and plants; we’re also called upon by agricultural companies to help pollinate their commercial crops, particularly the almond industry which is very reliant on bees to produce the nuts,” he says.
“During the day, the bees are away from the hives collecting nectar, so we typically work at night to shift the hives to different areas, this means that I often sleep in the truck,” says Ashley.
“The Eurocargo provides a good size sleeping area and the high roof, and compact transmission tunnel also allows easy movement around the cab,” he says.
The truck has a 28-foot tray providing sufficient space for up to 98 beehives along with an ‘Ezyloader 125’ crane allowing easy loading and unloading of the hives which can weight 90 kg when full of honey.
Other modifications include a steel bumper to minimise damage from animal strikes when driving in rural areas.
In the future Ashley plans to equip the Eurocargo with a few creature comforts of home including a DVD player and a fridge.
The truck has an Iveco Tector 7 206kW engine with 1,000 Nm of torque, ZF 9-speed manual transmission and rear airbag suspension which Ashley says makes it easy and very comfortable to drive, but even more important to him is the model’s unique ‘HI-SCR’ emission control system.
“The Hi-SCR system works through fresh and clean air intake rather than exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), keeping exhaust gas temperatures low,” he says.
“Often, we’re out driving in paddocks and reserves amongst very long grass, so it’s comforting to know we’re not going to set the place alight,” says Ashley.
He comments that the honey industry was growing strongly year to year.
“The industry is going great, and aside from the honey production, the demand for bees to do their pollination work on a commercial basis is also increasing.” says Ashley.
“I love the industry, the variety of the work and I’m looking forward to clocking up much more km in my Eurocargo doing this,” he says.
