Getting my bees Wednesday!

[Anny]

I'm getting my bees on Wednesday and I'm so excited. Problem is it's supposed to rain on Wednesday. How long can the bees stay in their 3 lbs shipping box? (I plan on straying them with sugar water to help)

I am using a Top bar hive, I've heard of people just removing the queen cage from the package and hanging it from a few bars. And NOT shaking the bees out of the package but just placing the package in the hive and closing it up? Do you think I could do this if it's raining? What if I put up umbrellas over me and hive?

I don't want my new bees to have to sit in the garage rather then their new hive. Any help would be great thanks!

 

[Beekissed]

Ann is the forum's resident bee expert and I haven't seen her for days.......but was thinking about your rain problem.......


... I was wondering if you could move your hive temporarily into the garage for the transfer, let them get settled, and go out at night and cover their door long enough to take the hive back where it belongs. Or is it too heavy for this sort of thing?

 

[Anny]

I might be able to move them into the garage but I might have a very unhappy partner (it's his work shop) and some unhappy hens (their coop is built into the garage)

Plus during the day I wouldn't be able to leave the garage open for them, since I live in a Detroit and don't want stuff stolen from my garage

So I don't think putting them in the hive in the garage is an option. Although if push comes to shove I might have to see what I can do. The hive is not to heavy to be moved but it's large well larger them my little arm spand anyways, and will take two people to move (which isn't a problem).

I'm really sad that the bio bees forum is not working as I feel I might have a few more people their who could give me some details.

 

[Beekissed]

Try Beemaster.com....great folks who can help you with anything to do with bees! Nice, too!

I was thinking you could just move them there temporarily while you transfer and then, after they settle down, go out at night and put them back in place in your yard. That way they won't be released into the hive while the rain is pouring down and should be settled well in when you take them back out in their normal setting.

 

[Anny]

oh ok that makes more since I was picturing leaving the hive in the garage for a few days and that wouldn't have worked. Your idea sounds like a good one. Thank you.

 

[reinbeau]

We were up in Maine for the weekend, thus my absence

You can install in the rain, we did three installs that way, under a big patio umbrella. They are going to be much better off installed in their hive, in place outside, so don't worry, just do it. As for shaking vs. not shaking, we've done it both ways. If you have the time letting them crawl out on their own is nice, but when you're pressed for time (or the weather really isn't cooperating) then shaking them is just fine. No matter what, the bees are confused by being shaken out of their hives into boxes and then shipped (poor things!).

Anyways yes, you do want to hang the queen cage from a frame in your hive, and pour the bees over her. In a Langstroth hive it's nice to have drawn combin the center of the hive to hang her next to, that way when she comes out she's got cells ready for eggs (the girls will spend the few days before she's freed cleaning up the cells and getting them ready for her). You're starting out with a top bar hive, which I believe has no drawn comb, so the girls have to get to work right away building cells for the queen. Place her towards one end of the hive rather than in the middle, and make sure your follower board is in place to keep the hive space smaller until they really get going with comb building. Make sure to feed, feed, feed, they need the syrup to make wax.

 

[me&thegals]

Ann--How fast do you think 3# Italians would go through 1 quart of fairly thick syrup? I don't want to harrass mine constantly but want to be sure they don't run out (the feeder is inside to prevent robbing).

Anny--Congratulations!!! That is so exciting! I'm especially anxious to hear how it goes for you since we both have topbar hives. I accidentally dumped my colony in the front and suspended the queen in the middle. Maybe my mistake can help you remember to keep the queen in front Not sure why this matters, but it sounds like it's best to have brood in the front?

Can't wait to watch them start building comb. Does your hive have observation windows?

How do you plan to feed?

A friend told me that overheating is an enemy of bees. He suggested the basement floor and outside the box to prevent overheating until we were able to install the hive.

If you don't mind hijacking, I have another question: A LOT of bees were still outside tonight (maybe 10%) when I checked right before dark. Will they die if the temps dip to 40s/50s? They were crawling toward the hive, but it seemed to cold for them to fly by that point.

me&thegals

 

[Anny]

I don't mind hi jacking at all any questions you ask are probly one I just haven't thought of yet.

What do you guys typically use for syrup I've seem so many different recipes on there I have no idea which is best.

How do you feed your bees in the Top bar? I've been playing with a few ideas but have no idea which will work best since I haven't tried any of them yet.

 

[reinbeau]

You'd be amazed at how fast they can go through syrup. This time around we used division board feeders, they don't hold quite as much, but the food is down with them, not up in a hivetop, so they're much more likely to go to it (we have had problems in the past with hivetop feeders and new packages). They went through that in five days, so we've been checking it religiously. Division board feeders work quite well, all you have to do is slide the inner cover aside to reveal the feeder and fil it - the bees aren't disturbed.

Pour five pounds of sugar into a one gallon container. Add enough hot water to fill it, and mix, mix, mix. This is the easiest recipe out there to remember for syrup.

The baggie method is one way to feed top bar hives, use a gallon ziplock baggie (a thick one!), fill but not top off with syrup, lay it across the top bars, and make a few slits in it near the middle. The bees will sip from those slits. Don't make too many!

 

[me&thegals]

I don't mind hi jacking at all any questions you ask are probly one I just haven't thought of yet.

What do you guys typically use for syrup I've seem so many different recipes on there I have no idea which is best.

How do you feed your bees in the Top bar? I've been playing with a few ideas but have no idea which will work best since I haven't tried any of them yet.

Hi Anny--Are you following the other thread, too? TSL gives recipes for syrups depending on time of year and whether topbar or Langstroth. Actually, I should say on whether they are using foundation or building their own comb.

Ann--I know I'm not supposed to be screwing around in their box often. Does this include my removing the lid to only expose the part that has their feeder? And--with a thicker syrup, how fast should I see that go down? I just want to make sure they can use it. They used it when we brushed it on their cages, but I'm concerned it's too thick for the feeder lid. I would feel a whole lot better if I knew they only used about 1 jar every 1 week, for example, or whatever specifics you can give me Yikes! This feeling is reminding me of when I had my first baby! "Doctor--how often should he be having a wet diaper?" So, don't laugh We'll soon be pros, right?

Anny--I used a mason jar feeder with just the entrance poking through the false back board. I have the false back board set about halfway through my 4-foot top bar hives.