I installed my first two packages on Monday evening and installed baggies of sugar water. Waited until Sunday to check the queen cages were empty. Found one hive was building comb from the cover instead of the frames so I rubber banded them to frames as seen in videos of cut outs. I added ventilated covers so I could feed from inverted jars w/o going into the hives to refill. Several hours later I Went to watch the bees and found they had both abandoned the hives. Walked around the area hoping to get lucky and find the swarm but no luck. Anyone care to offer post-mortem on where I may have gone wrong?
Dirk
Too much disruption before they are anchored by some brood is a bad practice as I think you have found. The baggies only require a couple inches of space and it sounds like you provided quite a bit more. You need to just come in and quickly release the queen or pull the cage if they have got it done and get out for a good week at least. I am sorry you got such an expensive lesson.
Wow, that rough. I feel for you. Vance pretty much covered it.
Jim
Bummer! But don't forget that and keep on beekeeping. Don't let that discourage you one iota!
Hang in there! And maybe get on a local clubs swarm list so that you are called when theres a swarm to capture.
David
Was there any foundation in your frames?
Hi Dirk,
I gotta ask the same question as buzzbee. I just can't understand why your bees wete building comb like you described. Seems to me that they would choose the foundation over roof.
Ray
Hi Dirk,
Thanks for the info. I will be putting in a pkg this weekend, I hope. Helps me to know what not to do.
Sorry for you loses.
Please don't give up.
David
I forgot to put the inner cover back on over the top feeder after installing a package. Went in after 6 days to find they were building down from the cover into the top feeder. Since they had just started I just put the inner cover on and I'll hope for the best. I had noticed there were very few bees down by the queen but they were all in the top feeder.
Too cold to check on them this week (NY is just so below norm this year!). I hope to get in there this weekend to see if I need to keep feeding.
Well one of the packages turned up as a swarm on a branch at my next door neighbors. She said they had been hanging around different places around their house for a week. They were within easy reach so I cut the branch and put it into a small nuc box I had built. I will need to transfer them out of the nuc box into a standard box with frames and a feeder.
Can I just shake them into the hive now and walk away for a couple of weeks? Should I seal them in for a few days since I can feed with an inverted jar with a ventilated cover so I don't need to open the hive at all?
Dirk
yrots: I would shake them into their permanent location. You can place a queen excluder between the brood box and bottom board to 'trap' the queen, and hopefully deter the rest of the rest of the bees from leaving her, but even that is no guarantee the bees will stay. Then leave them alone. Feed from the inner cover as you suggest. Are you using SBB? If so, I suggest sliding the corrugated piece in until they settle in. I am sure others may have other ideas. Good luck!