Package bees

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Grub

House Bee
Joined
Dec 30, 2009
Messages
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Location
Pencoed
Hive Type
14x12
Number of Hives
3 14x12
Hi All
I know you should have at least two drawn out combs for package bees but if you have none will xtra feeding make the diffrence

Grub
 
A package will kick of no bother on all foundation. Remember the queen will have been caged for a couple of days at least so will take a couple of days to come into lay. By then the wax workers wikll have been busy.

ALL packages need fed.

PH
 
I thought as much, but I thought best checking as I have a new poly hive and it will save all that messing about with the conversion kit.
Appreciated as usual
My bee suit arrived today Iam realy chuffed , but I knew you bunch would understand

Grub
 
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I've never installed a package but I have hived many swarms. Apart from the caged queen are there any other differences?
Is there any possibility a package will simply fly away, as the occasional swarm is prone to do?
 
A good package will be mainly young bees as opposed to the mix in a swarm.

Never heard of one absconding but like the the tag says bees do nothing invariably.

PH
 
dont treat with apiguard untill theyre established or they'll bugger off!
 
this is my 4th year beekeeping and i still get excited. im going to try queen rearing this year cant wait :cheers2:
 
dont treat with apiguard untill theyre established or they'll bugger off!

why treat with apiguard, by the time you treat ( for them not to abscond) all the varroa will be hiding in the Brood..you will get zero fdrop either leave until august or do a brood cull after 8 days
 
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Not if you treat when they have eggs and small larvae,but before brood is sealed. But they should not have many mites in the first place.
 
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Grub,
don't listen to what your partner says; you really DO look cool in that bee suit :)

FG
 
Re varroa control. Maybe the icing sugar method is the one to use here?

Also, as Hivemaker said 'a good....'. There may lie a problem.....how can you tell?

Regards, RAB
 
Unless there is a strong nectar flow (field nearby with oil seed rape for example) and good weather I would give them gallon or so of 50:50 sugar syrup. It will do no harm and only good. To be extra careful you might want to delay feeding for say 48 hours, this gives them the time to empty their crops and it reduces the chances of disease. Like starving a case of "the runs" although if there is a nectar flow on this won't work.

If you want to really kick the varroa - and they will have varroa unless they have come from somewhere varroa free, you could treat with an OA trickle or give them 20 mls of 60% formic acid on a J cloth over the top bars. Probably best to put the QX under the brood box while doing this. Have the varroa tray in and you will see how many mites fall. The formic acid treatment can be repeated after a few days but only do the OA once.
 
i'd let them draw some comb before treating with formic,oxalic or thymol and also beware of bringing on early supercedure with ox or formic treatments. feeding lots is allways a good idea with packages
 
anyone know how many frames a 1kg package covers?
 
I wouldn't bother with a 1kg package its just too small. Two or three at best I would think.

You should be looking at a 5lb one.

PH
 
JOHN ADAMS
Where you getting your package bees from ?

is there a list of supplys, and are thay imported.
 

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