The day before the packages came, we had snow with lows in the 20's and highs in 30's. Note the hive stand. Pallets are available from factories and stores for the hauling. We took some oak pallets and cut them down saving a quarter for a hive stand. What was left of the pallets kept us warm being burned in our wood furnace. Some of the pallets we hauled were made of number 1 pine! Those got cut down into frames in our woodworking shop.

The packages came in on Wednesday, April 3rd, my birthday! The highs that day were in the high 30's with wind and it was too late in the day to install them. Our little 7 by 11 heated workshop was utilized to hold over the packages so they could be installed the next afternoon. The temperature was initially set at 70 degrees so the cluster would "loosen" or "bloom". This was done so they would take feed (1:1 syrup) that was sprayed on the screen of the packages. The temp was then turned down to 55 degrees so the packages would tightly cluster.

All equipment was in place and waiting for the installation of the bees. Entrance blocks were in place with the small hole used (3/4" x 3/8"). The grass in this case was manually removed the afternoon after the installation of the bees. Dry grass doesn't shrink down and get loose like green grass does. Hence the bees have a difficult time removing it.

Everyone had a job and things went like clock-work. It was actually easier installing in the cold weather (40 degrees, no sun, no wind). No syrup was needed on the packages to wet down the bees to prevent flight. The cluster was easy to manipulate but no time could be wasted in the installation for fear of chilling the cluster or the queen.

We tried installing some packages with division board feeders for a comparison of how the packages do. The feeders we used were two frame Illinois in size and we were only able to run seven frames with the feeders in our boxes. Two frames of drawn comb with either honey or syrup in them were placed next to the feeder. Adding the syrup to the combs is easy if done in the warmth of a kitchen. It is simply poured over the comb and the excess is allowed to drain in a cake pan. It is then collected and poured again etc. The cells are slanted and the syrup is best poured from the top of the frame down. Jarring the frames can help work the syrup into the cells. You can even use a pump up weed sprayer to do the job faster.

A gentle thump on the ground dislodges the syrup can and it is pulled slowly out of the package. In this case, a third hand held the queen cage strap to speed the process. Note that one comb is removed and waiting for direct release of the queen. This method should only be used if the queen has been shipped with the package. Some packages made locally have the queen added just before you get them and will need the queen introduced.

The Queen cage is then removed from the package cage.

The screen is gently pried up making it easy to place her on the comb. Note that queen cage styles vary.

We then dumped a small cluster of bees on the queen to give her some protection from the cold and buffer her from the rest of the bees that would be dumped onto the frames.

Annie points out the queen to her helper (Vannesa). The small cluster around the queen was allowed to settle into the comb before it was turned vertical and placed in the box.

The rest of the bees were then dumped into the space provided by removing a couple of combs. There was no problem having the bees go down into the frames with the cold weather so only two combs were removed. Normally more should be taken out to provide a bigger space for the cluster. The missing combs were then replaced allowing them to settle into the cluster of bees VERY slowly. You have to get a bit rough with the bees to get them out of the cage. Generally, you can thump each side of the package cage with the palm of your hand while tipping the cage form one side to another to do the trick. Sometimes it works to thump them on the ground and turning the cage to get them worked into a ball and dislodge them from the cage walls. They are pretty resilient so do what it takes to get them out.

The syrup from the package can was then poured into the feeder with additional medicated syrup added. Fumidil B is the most critical medication for packages as they are very prone to Nozema. We choose to feed in increments of one quart so we could monitor the consumption better. This isn't practical on a larger scale.

Teresa then puts the "nearly empty" cage on the inner cover with the empty queen cage under one side used as a spacer to allow access for the bees. The idea is that this will allow bees remaining in the cage a chance to join the rest of the cluster. In practice, we found the cold weather put a stop to this and all those bees left in the cages were dead the next day.

An empty deep shell is place over the inner cover and Vannesa stands by to cover the hive. Working together like this made this job go very smooth. Total time to install 20 packages was about 2 hours including prep and clean-up. Packages should be left alone for at least twenty four hours to allow them to accept their new home.

The "Wood Lot" yard complete. Colonies would normally be "incubated" at the home location until colonies are stable and prime for moving. They would then be moved into a new location creating an additional yard for expansion. This yard however will be maintained permanently here with the incubation done close by. Care must be taken with this approach to protect the weak packages from being robbed by the strong permanent yard colonies located on the same property.

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April 4, 2001

Packages installed

April 5

The dry grass was pulled from the entrance blocks in the afternoon. Evidence of some flight with defecation on a couple of the cover tops. Still mighty cold!

April 6, 2001

Added Quart jars of 2:1 medicated syrup to those colonies without division board feeders. Removed the empty package and queen cages. Added pollen patties (Our mixture was too sticky and we had trouble getting the wax paper off). Colonies with division board feeders seem to have definite advantage with the cold weather as bees are chaining the cluster down into the feeders. These colonies have also started to draw foundation already!

April 12, 2001

All but one colony out of syrup. Most have at least one full frame eggs and 1/3 frame larva. Pollen patties on average 1/8 to 1/4 consumed. Some incoming pollen (yellow and orange/tan) with bee dance going on. Put 10th frame back in due to burr comb being built. Most have at least one side of one frame foundation 1/3 drawn. One had syrup in foundation already.

April 17, 2002

Spot checked 3 of 20 and found all feed gone from jars. Still 1 quart to go to get proper dose of Fumidil B. Approx. 4 full frames of foundation drawn with sealed syrup in 1/4 of a frame. About 3 full frames syrup total. 1 full frame sealed brood with 2 full frames eggs and larva. Still in one Illinois body and will have to crank up frame production again as not enough bodies are ready to install. Colonies with division board feeders have some burr comb built in feeders and now seem to be equal with those colonies with top jar feeders. Advantage may end with the cold weather. Will leave these feeders in place and plan on wintering them in this configuration.

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Some related pictures.

Soft Maples begin to bloom. April 12th.

Minimal pollen coming in. Note the small entrance block hole used. April 12

The bees were bothering our kid goats to the point that we had to start feeding them after dark. They collected the finely ground corn from the feed in their search for pollen. You could see some of the bees coming in with chunky looking white pollen on their legs and it turned out to be from the ground feed. They also visited the gravity box in a more grand scale!

The problem of the "grain robbers" is articulated by one of the victims!