first week of keeping bees

[Guest396]

Hi from Anglesey my first week keeping bees never handled bees before on my own, only on a bee course I went on last year
Bought colony of bees and have installed in the new hive after two days
When installing in the hive a lot of the bees were left in and on the box did I use to much smoke?
Feeding sugar syrup 2 to 1
Do I have to leave the Varroa Inspection Tray on or off ?
Thanks David

 

[Poly Hive]

Make sure all your frames are in the new hive out of the nuc box, turn the nuc box upside d own and rap it sharply against the hive to knock the remaining bees in. Your queen may also be in the nuc and she will be fine shook in.

Did this (yet again) with a beginner this morning.

Varroa tray is for sampling to mainly out though some leave them in all winter to reduce wind chill.

PH

 

[Guest396]

thanks

 

[Millet]

I can not really place a vote on that poll as the inspection trays are in and out like i fiddlers elbow so to speak.
They are in on nuc's with new Queens then back out when the Queen starts laying, they are also in this time of the year now and again for Varroa monitoring, then winter comes along they are in most of winter and cleaned or changed weekly, if we get a mild spell i pull them out 1/3 and when it cools down or the wind picks up i put then back in fully, my hives are on the north east coast and in Winter the north easterly winds can be brutal so 80% of the time during winter they are pushed fully in.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Sometimes
In for vague monitoring
In when winter weather is harsh.......BUT the inspection tray slots in my floors are a good 3/4 inches below the mesh and I don't block the back off
In and back blocked off if I am doing an inspection resulting in a few airborne bees (such as shaking frames to look for queen cells) It stops bees getting lost under the floor and spending the rest of their life there/ being caught by the weather.
Out most of the rest of the time

 

[B+.]

I voted "Spring".
This is the only time when an inspection tray actually yields worthwhile results (i.e. phoretic mites falling before there are any mites reproducing in the sealed cells).

 

[Beefriendly]

B+ would disagree to some extent.
Drop counts are notoriously inaccurate, but they can't hide a high mite infestation at any time of year.

 

[MartinL]

. . . .
When installing in the hive a lot of the bees were left in and on the box did I use to much smoke?

Is the new hive in the position the old box was for the two days? Your best way to transfer them should have been;
Empty brood-box with entrance in same position/orientation as pervious box/nuc, maybe a couple of frames, (1 at each end).
Place the frames from the nuc into the brood box.
Close down the gaps so they are regularly spaced at one end.
Then tip the bees in the nuc into the gap you have left with one or two good shakes it's all done.
Then just slide the remaining frames in, or better still reduce the open space inside with some insulation. This will give them a smaller area, better to keep warm during the damp cold days & easier to defend.

.Feeding sugar syrup 2 to 1
Do I have to leave the Varroa Inspection Tray on or off ?
Thanks David

I wouldn't be feeding them syrup at this time of year but if you think it's necessary, I'd have the entrance closed to 1-2 bee space & Tray IN. You're going to attract the attention of the Jaspers very easily in late July!