[Organist]

Hi,

1) I am picking up two packages of bees on Wed. End of May seems a bit late, and the early spring blossoms are all gone. I'm planning to put sugar syrup in with them (1 gal. each hive, 1:1 mixed up the day before). If they don't need it, I'm guessing they won't eat it. My goal for these bees is to get them strong enough to get through the winter. Sound good for the day one activity?

2) What's the best way to transport the two packages? My truck is on the fritz, so I'm using my moms van. It has AC, and I was going to put the bees in the back, under a cover to keep the sun off. It will be about a two hour drive, and I don't want them to overheat under the windows. Anything I overlooked?

For the installation, I'm planning to place the queen, then just set the package in the hive instead of shaking them in. Some people seem to advocate this approach saying it's calmer for the bees.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[biggraham610]

I would leave em in the car with the ac on for the ride first of all, 1 gal seems a bit much but thats just me, second, I would shake em in. Thats just me and I dont know much, but these are the methods I have employed with success. Good Luck G

 

[Riverderwent]

"1) I am picking up two packages of bees on Wed. End of May seems a bit late, and the early spring blossoms are all gone. I'm planning to put sugar syrup in with them (1 gal. each hive, 1:1 mixed up the day before). If they don't need it, I'm guessing they won't eat it. My goal for these bees is to get them strong enough to get through the winter. Sound good for the day one activity?"
I would not feed them now. You could feed them 2:1 in the fall if you still thought that you ought to feed them.

"2) What's the best way to transport the two packages? My truck is on the fritz, so I'm using my moms van. It has AC, and I was going to put the bees in the back, under a cover to keep the sun off. It will be about a two hour drive, and I don't want them to overheat under the windows. Anything I overlooked"
Room temperature or slightly warmer with a little ventilation for transport. A moist sponge in a plastic container when you first hive them.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Consider shaking those packages. If you check through the old posts on hiving packages, you will see the problems only seem to happen when the beekeep has used some other method of installation. Shaking does NOT hurt them.

Personally I too feed packages--at least until they get some frames started. The clock is ticking on a new package and you want the queen laying as quickly as possible while she still has enough workers to keep that new brood warm and tended. After the first hatch, feeding is much less critical.

JMO

Rusty

 

[larrybeach]

sounds like a good plan to me. I would give them 1 to 1 syrup, if you are using foundation it will help them draw out comb. I prefer to haul nucs and packages in the back of my suv instead of my truck. once I had a nuc with a small hole that I did not notice, had about 50 bees or so come out and fly around the windows, but they never bothered me at all. After I installed the nuc, they must have found there new home. I left the back open and when I returned to my suv they were all gone.

 

[flyin-lowe]

Do you have any way to get your hands on frames with drawn comb on them? I am a total newbie but the frames a friend gave me had drawn comb. I added the package one week ago. I made my first check 7 days later and the center of the inner frames already had larvae curled up in them. So she started laying right away. 6 of the 8 frames had activity on them including, larvae, nectar, and pollen. I have no idea how long it takes bees to build comb on 8 frames but I feel like a saves quite a bit of time doing it this way.