# Got bees yesterday



## turtlehead (Jul 22, 2005)

Well our bees were delayed because of the late cold weather. There is a beekeeping organization about an hour from here and they go down to (South Carolina?) and get a bunch of bees a few times each spring. We'd had our order in a while but the trips were delayed due to cold weather delaying the ramp up of bees down in SC.

ANYway, the phone rang about 2:00 yesterday afternoon and they had the bees and wanted to know if we could pick them up before 4:00 

I mixed up some syrup, set up the hives (they were painted and assembled, but on the porch, not out where they're going to stay) and ran one of the kids into town for play practice while DH went to get the bees.

We painted the wire with syrup - they ate LOTS and then quit clambering on the screen and hung in the middle of the box. It was really cool looking.

Then I went back into town and picked up the kid and by the time I got home it was getting pretty late. I put the bees in the hives and it went okay although it could have gone better.

I didn't know how to open the boxes of bees. I pried the little lid off where the queen and the feeder are but I think maybe I should have pried the whole lid off.

I forgot to bang the box to knock the bees down to the bottom of their box. They were pretty calm though.

The instructions I have said to "hang" the queen between two frames of foundation but I couldn't figure a way to hang her. I set her on the bottom of the hive and hoped that the others would all gather around her and keep her warm enough.

The first hive, I followed directions explicitly - shook a couple of cups of bees into the hive then after they climbed down into the hive I put the syrup in, put a super on and put the lid on. Then I shook the remainder of the bees out onto the "porch" of the hive. They all landed on the ground. A few landed on the porch but mostly they just fell on the ground.

The second hive I dumped them all inside and didn't try shaking any out onto the porch.

This morning the ones on the ground were still alive - they'd clumped together. I hope they make their way into their hive today. There is a possibility they might make their way into the stronger hive but we'll see.

I hope the queens are okay down at the bottom of the hives.

Oh, I only got stung twice - once on a finger (mild, through a glove) and once in my armpit by a bee that got inside my shirts.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Use a dust pan or some thing to gather the bee on the ground and dump them in the right hive.
Where did you find the instructions to dump them on the ground in front of the hive in the first place? I have never heard that one before.

 Al


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## turtlehead (Jul 22, 2005)

The queens are in the hives; the instructions ("The Hive and the Honeybee", Dadant) said to hang the queen's box between two of the foundation frames. Instead of hanging it, I placed it on the bottom of the hive (on the screen).

It said after hanging the queen in place, dump about two cups of bees into the hive and let them work their way down toward the queen (they did).

Then it said to dump about 1/3 of the remaining bees on the "front porch" of the hive (not the ground). But my "front porch" is very narrow and the bees landed mostly on the ground instead of on the front porch.

Supposedly the bees will find their way into the hive, and as they do so they will lift their abdomens and give off a scent that helps the rest of the bees find their way in. They did this. 

When you see the first bunch of bees lifting their abdomens and going into the hive, you are supposed to dump the remainder of bees on the front porch - but again, they mostly went on the ground.

I'm hoping that this morning they will warm up (they are still alive) and find their way into the hive.

The second hive, I just dumped them all into the hive after putting the queen in place.


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

Well, interesting technique, I must say. I suppose it's so the 3lbs of workers don't get squished by trying to get them all into the body at once. 

We've always just taken one of the frames out of the hive, shaken all the bees down into the hive, let them settle a minute, and then gently work the frame back down into the hive. (that's after putting the queen cage between two frames). 

this last batch of bees we got, the queen had been with the workers for 3 days already, so I just opened the queen cage and put her into the hive. then put in the workers. worked with the 3 hives we started this spring.[prophead]

Your queens should be fine, once the workers release them. they'll just go into the brood area and start laying. 

Opening the bee box...The ones I've seen always have a can of syrup hanging in them. Shake the bees down to the bottom, take out the can. (assuming you already have the queen in place) tilt/shake the box diagonally a few times to shake the bees out the hole left by the can and into the hive (holding the bee cage so that the hole is DOWN, of course) they fall out like a living waterfall or a big glop of molasses.

Good luck with your bees They're a lot of fun.


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## turtlehead (Jul 22, 2005)

WisconsonAnn,
With my second hive I ended up doing it the way you describe it - just dump them all in there.

The boxes of bees I got did have a can of syrup hanging in them. I was able to get the first can out fine and shook the bees out through that hole just as you described. The second can just would NOT come out - it was wedged in there crooked or something. I ended up turning the box upside down and shaking syrup can and bees and all into the hive. After the bees crawled down into the hive (and off of the syrup can I just lifted the can out of the hive. Not the most elegant technique, but hey, it got the bees out of the box and into the hive.

Man, you rehearse this stuff in your mind a zillion times and then - panic!!!


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## madness (Dec 6, 2006)

Turtlehead,

My first year with the bees, so I might not be all that helpful, but here goes!

Did your queen come in the new plastic cage instead of the old wood with metal screen? If so, then there was a little stem that stuck out the top of the cage that you are supposed to break off and then stick in the side so that it can be hung in the frames. Also, more importantly, if you got that kind, did you make sure to remove the plastic cap off the end to expose the queen candy? Two of the new beekeepers in our club forgot (or didn't know) to do that and when they opened up the hive a week later, the queen still wasn't released. I remembered to take the cap off, but had other problems along the way. :grump: 

But it's turning out to be so much fun! Good luck!

Marissa


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## turtlehead (Jul 22, 2005)

madness,
At this point any comments are illuminating and welcome 

My queens were in the wooden holder with the screen. I took the cork out of the candy end.

I need to find a club near me. I've found one about two hours away. Still looking for one closer.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I wish this post was a stick so the new beekeepers who are going to iinstal the first packages could read it.
http://homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=118072

I have the book the hive and honey bee edited by Roy Grout. It said to place the queen cage as you did on the bottom board screen up, on the frame top bars the cage screen down. Said to dump the bees from the package into the hive body. I Also have the newly released Hive and Honey bee edited by Roger Hoopengarner, but haven't glanced at it to see the method of package installs.

I do hope your bee found their way into the correct hive. Thankfully the night was not to cold and wet so they are alive come morning.

 Al


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## turtlehead (Jul 22, 2005)

Mine is edited by Joe M. Graham.

Now that I look at it again, there is a verbal description that says put two cups in the hive, then 1/3 at the entrance, then the rest. But there is also a page of photos showing how to do it and *that* set of instructions says to put all the girls in the hive at once.

It was 37*F the night after I installed the bees into the hives. I went up early the next morning and the ones that fell on the ground (when I tried to put them at the entrance) had grouped together and were alive. I haven't been back to see if they found their way in; I don't know if I'd be able to tell without opening up the hive and I want to leave them undisturbed. I'm definitely curious, but it's not like knowing will change anything at this point.


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## turtlehead (Jul 22, 2005)

I went up and checked the hives yesterday just to be sure they had enough syrup. Each hive had two quart mason jars of syrup with nail-holes poked in the lids, inverted on the foundation frames (with a super on top of the main hive, then the lid).

They hadn't eaten as much syrup as I thought they would. 

The hive I was so worried about had eaten less than a pint but they were busy and flying in and out a lot. There were no dead bees on the ground; apparently they either found their way into the hive or flew away and got lost.

The hive where I dumped all the bees directly into the hive box hadn't eaten hardly any syrup, and there was very little activity in and out. Just a bee once every 5 seconds or so. They were buzzing and busy inside though. I rotated the syrup jars so each jar had at least two nail holes available between the frames.

Now I'm worried about the hive that's not eating much.


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## madness (Dec 6, 2006)

Wow, it sounds like my bees are glutens compared to yours! I was told to feed them a quart of 1:1 sugar water every day. By noon, they have that quart guzzled down. I have noticed that one jar is always consumed faster - I even switched it between the hives to make sure. It has slightly smaller holes than the other one. Maybe you should poke some more holes in the lid?

I'm also using an entrance feeder, which I know some books don't recommend. The bee club buys hives for a few "scholarship kids" every year to get more younh people involved in beekeeping and they always get entrance feeders so I thought I would too!


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

It's great to hear how well things are going for y'all. Bees are simply AMAZING creatures.

Ours are having a field day (pun intended) with the timothy that's blooming, as well as the apple trees. first batch of brood from each hive has hatched now and they're EVERYWHERE.  :dance:

I suspect your bees in WVirginia are simply more interested in pollen and flowering stuff. You probably have a gazillion plants flowering now. I remember feeding syrup our first year...as soon as the fields and trees started blooming the critters didn't touch the syrup. I don't know if that's usual or not.


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## turtlehead (Jul 22, 2005)

I thought I might need bigger holes but while mine are very small (used the same size nail I used to nail the foundation frames together) they are larger than the holes in the syrup can that shipped with the bees.

We do have quite a few flowers blooming here now. The fruit trees are done but the black locust and the tulip poplars are "due" to start in a week or so, and they are each considered a major flow of both nectar and pollen.

It's just weird that the hive that's not eating much is not doing much flying either - or at least they weren't when I went to check on them. 

I can't stand it. I'm going to go up there later today and just look at the hives (not bother with them or anything, just look at the entrances).


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