[J-Rat]

I'm new to bee keeping and when my bees arrived via UPS this morning I was a little nervous. The box was buzzing very loud. ( I guess they didn't like the truck ride.)
Well they calmed down and I installed them about 5:00 pm. ( My daughter and her best friend came to visit and to check out the bees.) They stayed to help and film the fun.
Everything went very smooth.( I really didn't need my bee suit. ) It was a wonderful experience that I was very happy to have my wife and daughter share with me.

 

[Chemguy]

Congrats! It's good to hear that everything went smoothly. My own experience last year was much like yours, for which I was grateful. I always wore my jacket and veil, which came in handy later in the year when we went into dearth. Good luck!

 

[BeeGora]

It is fun, isn't it? I used the full suit the first time I installed a package and also didn't need it. Now I just wear a veil except as Chemguy there said, during a dearth they get sorta touchy. Did you release the queen or put her in still in the cage? If she's still in the cage you should check in 3 days to see if she's made it out yet. Good pictures!. Nice looking hive. Did you build it?

 

[Michael Bush]

Doesn't it make you feel like Pandora when you look at that box full of bees and you are contemplating opening it? No turning back once they are out...

You often don't need a beesuit but that one time you do, you'll be glad you had it on...

 

[AugustC]

Congratulations on your new arrival.
I particularly like the picture of you with your full suit on and your wife or daughter beside you in a sun top looking extremely unconcerned by the bees.

 

[SteveStevenson]

JRat, I love your hive. Whose plan did you use? I wish I had seen your pictures before I built my hive. If you dont mind I'm going to copy yours for my next hive. My installation, this past Sat also went well. Good luck with your bees!

 

[BeeGora]

It looks like a hive from BeeThinking but their entrances are on the side and not the ends.

 

[J-Rat]

Thanks for all the kind comments. My daughter is in the pic with me, she stayed back while I removed the queen cage and after seeing that the bees were not being aggressive came in to help.
I watched lots of u tube on how to build a TBH and combined idea's to build my hive. wranglerstar.com has some great how to video's on TBH building.
Opening the package was a bit like Pandora's box. Something to be enjoyed yet treated with respect. The guard bees get up in my face if I get near the hive for any length of time. Later today I'll be suited up when I check to see if the queen is out of the cage.

 

[Redbug]

That's about as good as it gets when starting out. I'll bet the rest of the family will be wanting to get into beekeeping before too long. All those little workers cast a spell over you and you are hooked.

 

[imthegrumpyone]

Whoops, should of been new thread, sorry.

 

[J-Rat]

Hello. Update on my install.
I went into the hive and released the queen.
I have seen some questions about feeders, so I wanted to share what I'm using. They seem to be working very well.
The inside feeder I made sits on the other side of the follower board, I just cut a hole in the follower board to match the feeder. I also bent the #8 hard cloth to reach the jar lid. (5 small holes) The screen lets me refill the feeder without the bees coming out of the hive.
I also made an outside feeder that I placed away from the hive. ( 200' or so ) The bees found it quickly and are going to town on the syrup.
Thanks for looking.

 

[imthegrumpyone]

I like your inside feeder, it backs up to the follower that keeps them from wondering around. I have two jars on a board, they feed from underneath but can roam around, hope they don't start a comb on the feeder side. I had bought two 1/2 gal. twist lock plastic feeders, that ended up to big to fit inside hive, guess I'll use them outside at sometime.

 

[snl]

Congrats........but the pic is weird. There's a guy in the whitest bee suit I've ever seen and his wife beside him in tank top? Something just don't seem right

 

[ccar2000]

When the UPS girl delivers my packages, for some reason my house is the first stop of the day Enjoy your new obsession.

 

[J-Rat]

SNL you really made me laugh. New beekeeper = New bee suit. That is my daughter in the pic. She knew all about my new hobby and came over to watch the install. Seems normal to me

 

[Redbug]

When the UPS girl delivers my packages, for some reason my house is the first stop of the day Enjoy your new obsession.

And the UPS girl asks, "Are you single?"....
(Sorry, I just could not help it...)


Seriously...I just did my first install a couple weeks ago here in SC. The girls seem to be filling out a little comb, and I have seen eggs. Checked yesterday and saw some capped brood. They are starting slow. I guess it's a hard pull upward when the package bees are slowing dwindling while the queen is trying to get settled with enough comb the lay eggs and begin a new hive.

One of my beekeeping friends, (thank you Larry!), sent me this which helps in realizing what's going on...

Bee population of package bee installation:
Day 23 or 24 shows lowest bee population.
Day 30 shows return to package initial population.
Growth continues.
Day 40 shows twice initial package population.
Day 42 marks the point when all bees in hive are truly your bees.
Day 50 shows three times initial bee population.
Day 59 marks beginning of population stabilization as deaths offset births.