[b1rd]

Thanks for taking the time to look over my question.

I plan on sacrificing some of my bees to help a friend who uses apitherapy treatments for a medical condition, and I have a quick question about transporting the bees to him.

My plan is to grab a few bees during my next inspection and place them into a Mason's jar using screen as the lid. I thought I might put a couple of drops of honey in the jar, and I was hoping this would be enough food and hopefully water (in the honey) to allow the bees to live for two days. I hope to drop the bees off one day and allow for a second day for him to use them.

Can somebody give me their opinion on how this plan sounds? I would assume it would be better to include more water, but I'm hoping there's enough in the honey to keep the bees alive for a short time, but I wanted to check, as I'd like to avoid that step if possible.


Thanks,
b1rd

 

[GregV]

I would also drop a moist cotton ball into your jar (or a piece of moist cramped paper towel).

 

[b1rd]

Thank-you.

 

[Gray Goose]

the water in the honey is not enough, the bees actually eat necter, and would need some water, a spounge cube in the jar would be enough, 2 inch square, thin so it does not roll. other than that it should work fine.

GG

 

[b1rd]

Thanks for the replies.

It looks like it will be easier using these methods for water than I originally had planned, so I'm glad I checked. (A balancing act with a small container of water was going though my mind)inch:

 

[ruthiesbees]

I can keep my apitherapy bees (5-7) in a small mason jar for 2-3 days with just a drop or two of honey on the screen

 

[Oldtimer]

I would have thought a queen cage with some candy would have been better. Some years ago just to find out, I loaded some queen cages with bees and left until most had died just to find out. Wooden cages were the best with survival of 2+ weeks before any serious losses. I think that is because wood is "warmer" than glass or plastic, plus probably absorbs any poop, and gives the bees a good foothold which will be more comfortable for the bees. In plastic cages survival of the majority was 11 days before major losses. The bees had candy and were not given water, as the aim was to replicate conditions in a mailing cage. I have not tried a glass jar but feel it would probably be a miserable experience for a bee.

To make queen cage candy using honey, just put some icing sugar in a pile then mix in some honey. Keep kneading in more icing sugar till the mix is pretty stiff, so bees don't get sticky if in contact with it. There is some advice not to use standard icing sugar because it contains anti cakeing agents (sometimes cornflour), but it's what I have always used and have not seen an issue.

 

[Amibusiness]

I'd put a damp bit of paper towel in there, depending on the weather and temp. How many bees? How does your friend use them? Often for apitherapy they are shipped about 60 in a small package which should last a week or 2. You may be able to put the jar with a bit of honey in front of the hive and get enough robbers in at once to be enough. Or you can put the jar on the hive and shake a frame (from above the qx so you don't get the queen) into it. When you have enough close it, bit the older flight bees will fly out pretty quickly and the younger ones may not have as much venom....

 

[JConnolly]

There is some advice not to use standard icing sugar because it contains anti cakeing agents (sometimes cornflour), but it's what I have always used and have not seen an issue.

To get around those concerns I made my own powdered sugar for queen candy. Its easy, just throw a cup of sugar in the blender and run it on high speed.

 

[vtbeeguy]

My gram used to do this for a few of the older ladies in the church. She would have a toilet paper tube in a mason jar that was wet down as well as a good drizzle of honey. She would put it up to a small hole in the hive body and knock hard. After it filled up with a few dozen bees she would close it off with either a screen top of a metal top that had a bunch of holes in it. I can't remember which. That would keep them for a couple days.