Daniel’s
foolproof bee package installation method.
Preparations:
- In advance, obtain pollen patties and prepare bee 1:1 feed. You should also have ordered drawn comb. If you don’t have drawn comb, obtain. Hiving a package on bare, undrawn frames is a dice-roll. Fill a spray bottle with the 1:1 feed
- Plan to do installation as
close to sundown as possible, to encourage the bees to stay-put and develop
appreciation for their new home. Do it
at lunchtime, and they may take advantage of the day ahead to fly away in
search of a better home.
Pickup, Transport, storage:
- Examine package. Dead bees on the bottom of the package is normal. More than 100 or so may indicate a problem with the package. If concerned, raise issue with the pickup coordinator so they can review with you.
- Transport in a cool place, out of direct light. Don’t place beside a heater vent.
- If you can’t hive
immediately, store in a cool dark place.
You don’t want to store more than a day or two. Spray every few hours with 1:1 (thin) sugar
feed.
Personal Safety:
- Packages bees will be more
disoriented than aggressive. They want a
new home. Stings are avoidable, but
possible. I never wear a bee suit myself
when hiving, but my kids do. Let your
own comfort level determine, but do tuck in your pant legs to prevent stinging stowaways. Do not use smoke as it will give them bad
vibes about their new home.
Actual Installation:
- Preparation: Have an entrance reducer in place, and remove 4 frames from middle positions. Pull out remaining frames and spray faces with feed. Use a hive tool to remove staple fastening queen cage. Mentally prepare by reviewing and rehearsing the next steps, so you can execute with flow, and without unnecessary delay.
- Pry jar out of package, set on side of hive, feeder holes up, so stragglers can escape.
- Dunk queen cage in lukewarm water to prevent her flying away. Soak her. Next take the queen cage, and reach hands *into* hive, and direct release her onto or under a frame, near the bottom.
Note: Direct queen release vs indirect: Often folks will leave the queen cage in the hive, leaving it to the bees to release her themselves. This is fine, but the bees already know the queen from transport. Direct release, done right, lets her get started laying sooner. Done wrong, and your queen will fly away.
- Invert package and bang to drop bees into hive, into the opening between frames. After the first bang, they will hold on tight. Don’t be gentle. You want them all out of the package. Once 95% out, move package around 10 feet away.
- Gently replace the four middle frames. Place two pollen patties to either side of center.
- Optional: Pry the top off the feeder jar lid, and gently shake the bee/feed soup over the frames. Ideally the rest of the bees will eat the feed and free the bees that trapped in the feed. Otherwise, dispose with package.
- Replace inner cover, and then
hive top or bucket feeder over bees.
Feeders should be filled with syrop. Replace outer cover.
Disposal of package boxes:
- The package boxes smell like home, and if left near the hives, bees may return to them. Do everything you can to bang every last straggler out, either on top of or in front of hives. Remove packages from the site.
Followup:
- Don’t disturb the hive for a
week. Let them get used to their new
home in peace. After a week, inspect
hive to ensure it’s queenright. If you
have queen problems, there’s a limited window to replace. If you can’t find the queen, get an
experienced second set of eyes to verify before reaching out to supplier.
