It is raining, and predicted to rain for several more days. Has anyone got any tips for installing packages of bees in the rain? Or, how long can bees stay in the package and be ok?
Have you got a big umbrella and someone to hold it? Not trying to be funny. The umbrella on my deck and someones near you minus the sand filled weight would do nicely. The rain will keep them in building comb with the syrup you will give them and start raising brood on the pollen pattie you provide. Release queen on the forth day and then stay out except to feed for a couple weeks.
We installed my first packages in the garage and carried the hive to the final location. It was cold and raining and the bees were quite happy to stay in the hive, none of them flew except to get back to the cluster.
Someone holding an umbrella will get the job done, it only takes a few minutes and the bees will not fly in the rain.
Use the walkin method, works best on drawn comb. Place the queen cage between the frames and turn the cage upside down over the queen cage on top of the frames. The bees go down on their own. Place feeder can on two sticks near queen. Place empty deep box over and put on lid. Check the next day and shake out any who are left in the cage. Remove cage. If you have a innercover, move it under shell box and place feeder can over inner cover hole. Come back in two days and remove queen cage.
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It was coming down hard last evening. I was planning on checking my home yard but thought better with the lightning and all.
Possible tornado just East of us.
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