was 76 deg. here today . I placed my newly built top bar bee hive in country . I used lemon grass oil as attractant . I had a looker inside of 5 minutes. I have some beeswax , will the bees use this shaved fine to build comb? or should I just let them build there own if I get a swarm. should I feed as soon as the hive is occupied[ if that happens ].? :idunno:
If a swarm decides to occupy your hive, they'll be in building mode. They'll waste no time getting comb drawn. I would watch them for a few days before deciding to feed. If they swarmed, then there's probably some sort of flow going, which made their original hive strong enough to be able to swarm.
If they're bringing in pollen and nectar, don't feed. Let the queen keep the extra space to lay.
thanks for the advice . I have never tried to keep bees so im a complete novice.
Keep in mind even with a looker in KS your at least a month from any swarms..... so don't get discouraged.