I am really upset right now. I ordered some queenless packages to strengthen a week hive and also to put with some queens I had ordered. The queens were supposed to arrive today but they didn't. The packages arrived a few hours ago, and they are in HORRIBLE condition, the worst I have ever seen. One of them has more dead bees than live ones. They all have between one and two inches of dead bees on the floor. I don't know what to do, because the queens are not here and I feel very bad making them sit in these boxes full of dead bees. I want to put them in hive boxes, but without a queen, what would happen? Any advice would be appreciated.
You should contact your supplier about the dead bees!
Scott
I did contact them, and left a message. In the mean time, I am just trying to figure out how to handle this situation.
Put all your packages with your weak hives. Then you can do splits later when queens arrive.
If I do that, do I need to newspaper combine? Will there be any problem with all the extra dead bees being thrown in the mix?
Newspaper combine yes. Make sure you have syrup with them and a hole for them to exit the hive. The bees will clean out their dead just fine.
Quote from: AllenF on May 25, 2011, 07:08:57 PM
Newspaper combine yes. Make sure you have syrup with them and a hole for them to exit the hive. The bees will clean out their dead just fine.
What is the newspaper combine?
Quote from: Larry Bees on May 25, 2011, 07:11:28 PM
Quote from: AllenF on May 25, 2011, 07:08:57 PM
Newspaper combine yes. Make sure you have syrup with them and a hole for them to exit the hive. The bees will clean out their dead just fine.
What is the newspaper combine?
How To Do A Newspaper Combine Of Two Beehives (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIzMj0KhaIo#)
Quote from: AllenF on May 25, 2011, 07:13:00 PM
Quote from: Larry Bees on May 25, 2011, 07:11:28 PM
Quote from: AllenF on May 25, 2011, 07:08:57 PM
Newspaper combine yes. Make sure you have syrup with them and a hole for them to exit the hive. The bees will clean out their dead just fine.
What is the newspaper combine?
How To Do A Newspaper Combine Of Two Beehives (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIzMj0KhaIo#)
Thanks a lot! That was a quick reply! I had never heard of that, but I'm new to all of this.
There is just so much to learn. But it is all good and fun to do. Everybody is still learning here.
I just thought of an idea....tell me if this will work. What if I grab a queen from one of my hives (it's a queen I was going to get rid of anyway) and put it in a cage, and then dump all the packages together in one hive with the caged queen. Will that work well until I get the queens I ordered?
Yes, it will work well. Be sure to add a feeder.
get some pictures of the packages you got and the conditions. you may need them.
Just a small note!! When I do the newspaper combine, I spray the newspaper with a little sugar syrup just to mask the scent of the hives. Not even sure where I learned this, but this is what I do. It works well every time.
Good Luck
Annette