Honey Bees: Installing your new beehive package

 

 

If you have a ten frame hive, start with 6 frames.  If you are working with an 8 frame box, start with four frames.  Spray down both sides of the foundation you are putting in the hive with a heavy 50/50 sugar water mix.  If you have any lemon grass oil, add a little to your mix, but remember, a little goes a long way!  ½ teaspoon for a regular sized spray bottle should be sufficient.

Place the frames in your box, leaving about a 2 frame space in the middle with an equal number of frames on either side.  Open your package and carefully remove the queen and set her aside.  Shake your package of bees down into the middle open space in your hive.  The bees should immediately take to the foundation where the sugar water was sprayed.  If it is a hot day, you can carefully spray the bees in the package before releasing them into your hive.  This will keep the majority confined to the hive and not flying around your head.  Be careful not to spray to much as you don’t want them to drown!  After the bees have been introduced to the hive, take the queen cage and examine it.  If there is already sugar in the end, all you may need to do is remove the cover to expose the candy.  If you have a cork in the end of your queen cage, remove it and place your finger over the hole, using much caution not to harm your queen or let her escape.  Place a mini marshmallow in the end where the cork was, then take the cage and wedge it in between the two middle frames.  Make sure the screen end is no facing a frame, so the bees can contact her from the other side of the screen.  At this time, you can push all your frames together in the middle.  Replace your lid and leave the bees to release their queen for between 3 to 5 days.  It’s important in this time to disturb the hive as little as possible.  STAY TUNED!  NEXT POST: Getting your package to build up quickly.