Comments on: Package Bees, A Gentler Way to Install

By: April Garcia

April Garcia — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 02:00:23 +0000

I have a homemade top bar hive built with 2″ thick material. I worried and stressed and cried over how I would install my package. Would my bees freeze? Starve? Fly away? Get lost? I didn’t like the idea of bumping or spraying my already stressed bees. Because it was mid-May with nights in the low 50s I removed the queen cage, set it on the hive floor, set the open package on the floor nearby ( no bees flew away), put all the bars in place and left it for 3 days. I fed my bees sugar water for 3 weeks. On the third day there was a tiny comb with a cluster of bees above the package. I removed the cork from the queen cage as the queen was not released yet and it was clear the nurse bees were not aggressive towards her. The package still had quite a few bees clustered inside, so I removed it from the hive and set it near the enterance outside the hive and they streamed back into their “home”.

By: Shari

Shari — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 21:16:57 +0000

I used a similar method this year for the first time. I installed the queen on a central frame, then turned the package upside down above the frames. I placed a second box with frames removed on top and then closed the hive. The next day the package was virtually empty of bees and I removed it and the second box. Now I will leave them be until the third day or so when I will check for the queen.

This was a much kinder, gentler installation than shaking for sure! Same mission accomplished, less stress on beek and bees!

By: Kathleen Angulo

Kathleen Angulo — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 19:33:57 +0000

This method of installation seems effective and gentle. We just built our 1st hive and hope to get Bees this Spring. Will this method work with a new hive sans comb? And you recommend a week(ish) to move in? I am pleased the Queen is boxed cuz I heard a guy trying to box a swarm forgot to move the Queen first. They kept going back out to her.

By: buddy

buddy — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 18:42:52 +0000

I would like to start bee keeping. I have the hive’s and the starter equipment. But I need to get some bee’s.
I live in midland tx if someone could tell me where I can get them I would appreciate this .
thanks

By: Anne-Marie

Anne-Marie — Sun, 29 Jan 2017 06:06:47 +0000

Great article. Thank you for explaining about why to use the sugar water spray when installing a package. Makes perfect sense I just had not thought it through. Getting my first package for my top bar in Spring! I have A Langstroth hive already. Almost through our first Winter!

By: James

James — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 23:55:58 +0000

awesome article

By: REY PATRICK FROM TAHITI FRENCH POLYNESIA

REY PATRICK FROM TAHITI FRENCH POLYNESIA — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 17:58:34 +0000

Good morning,

I am leaving in Frach Polynesia in the south pacific ocean and as we haev 120 islands spread in territorial ocean as wide as the whole european continent, we need to move our bees by plane ATR 72 and ATR 42. So what kind of cages or small containers you recomand us to use for the transportation of the bees, respecting the IATA rules for the live animal transportation. Thank you very much. Patrick REY

By: Thom Denny

Thom Denny — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 17:52:11 +0000

Hello, this is my first time doing a bee hive. I got the beginner hive kit. Do I do the same thing. The hive won’t have any comb like yours. Thank you..

By: Linda E

Linda E — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 22:10:37 +0000

What do you think about the new Flobee honey extraction system? I saw a video about it last year.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Sun, 31 May 2015 22:51:01 +0000

I’d rather dump the package into a box with 9 frames. I use drawn foundation in 8 frames, on the ninth I get a new sheet of foundation and cut out a space for the queen trap. By using nine frames, it eliminates congestion when dumping the package, but still fills the hive body so the bees don’t draw burr comb. When I take out the trap 4-5 days later, the bees will repair the hole, and I’ll add the 10th frame back in at this point. Like everything in beekeeping, there are always many ways to do about any job.