Installed my first package of bees

[lonewolf308]

Just got my first package of bees Wed and was a little unprepared. I hadn't been home in a few days so I didn't have my pants or long sleeve shirt. But after watching several videos and reading a few books about how docile the bees are during the installation I thought cargo shorts and a t-shirt would do...wrong! I wore my veil but didn't bother with the gloves. I did spray the bees very little with sugar water and really didn't have a problem until I placed the queen cage into the bottom of the super. To grab the cage I had to shake a few bees off and that's when they got upset. So while I was trying to remove the cork I was being repeatedly attacked surprisingly not on my hands.Upon shaking the bees out of the box it got to the point I couldn't take it anymore I had to head to the front yard...fast. After a few minutes I returned to a slightly calmer hive and was able to put my top feeder on and fill it with syrup while getting stung. I placed the top on and got out of there. Standing a safe distance away I smiled and chalked it up to lesson learned until I realized I hadn't replaced the frame I pulled or properly spaced them back before adding the feeder...yea! I wasn't about to go back in there that day I had been stung enough. I plan on doing a check Sun and hopefully the mess won't be too bad. I came away with about 10-15 painful stings and a image of angry bees all over my body. Another SNAFU for me is I'm trying to go foundationless so I had my frames set up with every other one using only a starter strip. I'm sure with that and the odd spacing it'll be a mess Sun.

I know I will get picked apart over what I did and the lack of proper clothing and I'm not blaming anyone but myself. But you all know the videos and books I'm talking about that show people without veils installing new packages. My suit I had order mysteriously went back ordered days after I was told it was in stock by Brushy Mnt. I'm fed up with them as well, everything's in stock till you order it. Ordered a nice suit from Mann Lake it'll be here next week. Good news is they're happy in the hive and didn't try attacking me the rest of the day.Hopefully I can get any mess straight and put all this behind me. All newbees take a lesson from me...please!

[yockey5]

I never use protection except for the trusty old smoker for any work with my bees. If they get too hot I re-queen and go again. Package bees have always been a piece of cake for me.

[Cadman]

Sorry to hear about your rough install. It takes guts to get pinged like that and keep going. Usually packages are real gentle and fun to install. Was the sugar water can in the package empty? With foundationless, I put starter strips on every frame. Wood strips, not foundation strips. Hopefully they will draw it out properly.

[Course Bee]

I'm also sorry you got popped so many times. I usually get stung at least once when I'm installing new packages and it's almost always my fault. Don't let it get you tense the next time you go in the hive. They can tell and they don't like it much. Good luck.

Tim

[lonewolf308]

Cadman I wasn't clear I alternated foundation/starter strip. So half have full foundation. Thanks guys for the support! They seem more comfortable I walked around the hive today without being noticed. Found some large black ants near the seam of the feeder hope just a very small leak and nothing major. Don't really feel like dealing with brushy mnt. right now. Again thanks for the support and I'll keep you updated on any problems.

[yockey5]

Watch out for those big black ants, they will invade the hive and the bees may abscond. Put tar paper or a roofing shingle in front of the hive. Lost a couple hives to them, now I don't have a problem with them.

[AndrewT]

Reminds me of the first package I installed years ago.  I'd read and re-read the Dadent beginner book twenty times even before I got the bees.  My friend who got me started told me to bundle up so that I wouldn't have to worry about stings so that I could concentrate on the job.  I put on a pair of sweat pants, then jeans over that, flannel shirt, then a sweatshirt, veil and hat, gloves duct-taped to my shirt, pants tied shut.  I'm sure I was a sight, but I was able to get the job done without a single sting.  That was the only time I "over-dressed" to that extent, but let's just say that I was in more danger of heat stroke then from anafilaxia back then.

I still wear the veil, and if it's a big hive, the suit, but usually not the gloves anymore.  I don't need a pickup truck with really big tires to prove I'm a man, and I don't need to get into a hive full of bees wearing only a speedo either (but I'd have to say much respect to him that does).

[lonewolf308]

Did my first inspection yesterday to replace my missing frame and to sort any mess. It had only been four days but everything looked great had one foundationless frame being worked on properly and a foundation one almost completed. The only bad incident was since there was a missing frame and a huge gap in the middle of the the frames the bees started a beautiful comb running from the top feeder entrance down to the bottom of the super. The queen had been released that was a plus but trying to place the feeder on a rail without destroying the comb was going to be difficult. I was about to brush the bees into the hive when the comb hit the railing one to many times and dropped off about two feet from the hive bees and all. There was nothing I could do but pick up what I could of the comb and but those bees back in. The rest of the bees walked along the ground sticky from syrup that was spilled unknowingly or is leaking from the top feeder's bottom. I did the best I could looking to see if the queen was among them. I didn't see her but who knows she is marked though. I added some syrup replaced the frames and spaced them properly this time. After about an hour all the bees on the ground found their way into the hive and everything was business as usual.I was really pleased at that! As long as the queen stayed inside everything should work itself out. I feel really bad about loosing that big beautiful comb that they worked hard on not to mention any eggs that may have been laid. Hopefully they'll forgive me and continue the good work. Again I'll keep you updated

[AndrewT]

There's no reason that you couldn't take that nice piece of comb and stick it in an empty frame.  Just trim it to fit and use rubber bands or string to keep it in place until the bees glue it in.  I did one like that earlier this season and it worked fine.