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Well, thankfully we got our hives ready to go well in advance to package delivery day. Just got word this morning that we'll be getting our bees on Saturday morning (4/5) instead of the original date of 4/26. The hives are ready to go with the exception of finishing up the follower board (just need to screw it to a top bar) and to make the decision of exactly how to feed them.
My original plan was to use an old entrance feeder and cut a notch in the bottom of the follower board with the jar/jug sitting behind it with bee access from the opposite side. Now I'm wondering if it wouldn't be a better idea to find a small trash basket or small bucket and do a bucket feeder with floats for them. That would enable me to be able to get the bucket right into/touching the cluster to help them through the first week of still having relatively cool nights. Should I be making sugar bricks or some sort of feed they'll be more readily able to take in the cold as a backup?
This will be an entirely new TBH install.
Here's the next week of weather here for reference: High/Low/Conditions
Apr 5
53°/33°/Sunny
Apr 6
59°/37°/Mostly Cloudy
Apr 7
53°/35°/Few Showers
April 8
54°/31°/Mostly Cloudy
April 9
56°/40°/Mostly Sunny
Apr 10
68°/41°/Partly Cloudy
Apr 11
62°/39°/Mostly Sunny
Apr 12
57°/40°/Mostly Sunny
My original plan was to use an old entrance feeder and cut a notch in the bottom of the follower board with the jar/jug sitting behind it with bee access from the opposite side. Now I'm wondering if it wouldn't be a better idea to find a small trash basket or small bucket and do a bucket feeder with floats for them. That would enable me to be able to get the bucket right into/touching the cluster to help them through the first week of still having relatively cool nights. Should I be making sugar bricks or some sort of feed they'll be more readily able to take in the cold as a backup?
This will be an entirely new TBH install.
Here's the next week of weather here for reference: High/Low/Conditions
Apr 5
53°/33°/Sunny
Apr 6
59°/37°/Mostly Cloudy
Apr 7
53°/35°/Few Showers
April 8
54°/31°/Mostly Cloudy
April 9
56°/40°/Mostly Sunny
Apr 10
68°/41°/Partly Cloudy
Apr 11
62°/39°/Mostly Sunny
Apr 12
57°/40°/Mostly Sunny