Packages - I feel like a beginner

[Chris B]

Any advice/explanation welcome.

I made up 6 packages on Saturday, to be installed Sunday or Monday.
To get the syrup in on Saturday evening I shook the box so they fell to the floor. It was getting colder by this point but I didn't notice straight away. Anyway, they didn't immediately recluster at the top, so after about an hour I moved them to the honey room which was a bit warmer than the polytunnel. Next day some looked okay but two were just up the sides a bit with loads still on the floor, not dead but not right either. So I dumped these two in front of other colonies and sprayed with syrup, and an hour later most had gone in but some dead too.

What temperature guidelines are there for handling bees this way? In the past I've always worried about overheating, but when does chilling become an issue?

 

[OXFORDBEE]

Chris,

Have you managed to get any advice yet?

 

[beebreeder]

Any advice/explanation welcome.

I made up 6 packages on Saturday, to be installed Sunday or Monday.
To get the syrup in on Saturday evening I shook the box so they fell to the floor. It was getting colder by this point but I didn't notice straight away. Anyway, they didn't immediately recluster at the top, so after about an hour I moved them to the honey room which was a bit warmer than the polytunnel. Next day some looked okay but two were just up the sides a bit with loads still on the floor, not dead but not right either. So I dumped these two in front of other colonies and sprayed with syrup, and an hour later most had gone in but some dead too.

What temperature guidelines are there for handling bees this way? In the past I've always worried about overheating, but when does chilling become an issue?

Hi Chris
There is a fair bit on the Web and video of how it's done in the US but nothing mentioned about temperatures, the way the last few days have been if the they were not all in boxes they would be dead now I would think, we had hard frost here last night
Kev

 

[Chris B]

I did about 100 last year without this sort of problem but I guess it was a bit later by a few weeks. I lost one big one to overheating and that's probably got me too focused on the wrong end of the thermometer scale. You live and learn.

 

[beebreeder]

with the distinct lack of replies I guess not many do packages that get here?!!!!!

 

[fiftyjon]

with the distinct lack of replies I guess not many do packages that get here?!!!!!

Not yet but maybe a possibility in the future.