Hived my first package this morning. Like to never got the darn thing open. :roll: Queen looked good, she was moving anyway so that's good. When I picked them up at the PO they were all quiet, thought they were dead. Amazing how fast they "resurrected" when I started opening them up. :-D
Anyway, as much as I tried shaking them out of that box I couldn't get them all in the hive so I set the package by the entrance and am hoping they just find their way in. Theres about 200 still in the box.
Also, the feeding can had so many bees clustered on it so I set it on top of the inner cover opening, kinda like a top feeder, and put an empty super on top of it. Is this ok? the can was still nearly full but I don't want to cause any problems. So if I need to change something please tell me.
I gave them some drawn comb and I am going to start giving them the frames of syrup I've had in my freezer as soon as they thaw. Anything else I should be doing? A package is not something I've dealt with yet.
~mary
Sounds to me like you're doing exactly the right thing!
Did you unpackage the queen also? She is likely hanging out in a little queen cage attached to inside of the bee package.
When I got my package I didn't realize the queen is not shipped in the general population and I left her hanging high and dry until I rectified the situation.
If the hole in the inner cover is totally closed with the feed can, you are fine. If they can come up into the empty box, you may have a problem. Be sure they are confined to the bottom box.