Successful Package Installations
Successful Package Installations
Two new packages installed for the 2019 season. Hope these girls do well.
I am new to bee keeping and was planning on starting with just one hive, but was encouraged by veterans of bee keeping to have two so that I can compare. I started by reading some books on bee keeping like "Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees" and "First Lessons in Beekeeping". I then signed up for a bee keeping class at a local bee supply store near my home, "The Carolina Bee Co.". This class gave me valuable information and connected me to other bee enthusiast, as well as giving me a discount on my bee packages.
Speaking of bee packages there are two ways to get bees. Either a package that comes in a box shown below with bees, a can with sugar water for them to eat on the way and a queen in her little box inside the big one. The queen bx contains some workers to aid her her and a cork with a candy stopper at one end. To introduce the queen to the reset of the bees once you put them into your hive box, you pull the cork on the candy end. This allows the workers on the outside to eat the candy to get to the queen. That will take about three days which allows them to get used to her pheromones and accept her as their queen.
The other way to receive bees is in a nuke. This is a box that looks like a small hive with 5 frames in it. The bees and the queen are already together and making brood, bee larvae. The advantages to this style is they are already established. The disadvantages to this style is they could come with disease. Their are many arguments for and against both styles. I chose the package style.
Because I chose the package style I do not plan to get honey the first year, I just want them to grow.
Speaking of bee packages there are two ways to get bees. Either a package that comes in a box shown below with bees, a can with sugar water for them to eat on the way and a queen in her little box inside the big one. The queen bx contains some workers to aid her her and a cork with a candy stopper at one end. To introduce the queen to the reset of the bees once you put them into your hive box, you pull the cork on the candy end. This allows the workers on the outside to eat the candy to get to the queen. That will take about three days which allows them to get used to her pheromones and accept her as their queen.
The other way to receive bees is in a nuke. This is a box that looks like a small hive with 5 frames in it. The bees and the queen are already together and making brood, bee larvae. The advantages to this style is they are already established. The disadvantages to this style is they could come with disease. Their are many arguments for and against both styles. I chose the package style.
Because I chose the package style I do not plan to get honey the first year, I just want them to grow.
