New Bee keeper - Need help!

[Nicky_Pitts]

Hello to everyone I am new to this site and new to bee keeping! I have a few basic questions I am having trouble finding some answers to online. I am hoping there are a few of you out there willing to lend a hand.

I have purchased a few nucs to arrive in May. The bee keeper I am getting them from told me to bring my hive, he will install them for me. Apparently this is protocol for  him. Is this normal? Do I need to be concerned with then putting my 3 hives, with 5 frames each, in the back of my truck. It is a 30 minute drive.

Secondly, I was planning on doing all mediums for my nuc supplied hives. I am assuming there is no way I can take a 9 1/8" frame and convert it over to a medium box, correct? Can I just put on deep on the bottom as a brood box and then just add medium supers on top? Or do both brood boxes have to be the same size?

Lastly, I live in Northeast Connecticut. I also have a package coming in the mail. I want to see the difference in an early installed package, VS the 5 frame nucs. How early is too early to install my package? Is April 1st do-able? What concerns should I have when starting off early in the spring with a package? I will also be putting this colony in a langstroth hive.

Thanks for taking the time to read my questions and lend your help! I anxiously await your responses!

[Michael Bush]

>I have purchased a few nucs to arrive in May. The bee keeper I am getting them from told me to bring my hive, he will install them for me. Apparently this is protocol for  him. Is this normal?

Yes.

> Do I need to be concerned with then putting my 3 hives, with 5 frames each, in the back of my truck. It is a 30 minute drive.

I would close them off with screen wire.  What is your concern?

>Secondly, I was planning on doing all mediums for my nuc supplied hives. I am assuming there is no way I can take a 9 1/8" frame and convert it over to a medium box, correct?

There are a number of things you can do.  If you are handy you can make a 3" shim or if you're not handy you can just cut the top 3" off of a nuc box (any depth will do) and use that on top of your bottom medium to put the deeps into.  They will hang down into the medium box on the bottom.  Put a board on the side and one on top for a cover (with some bricks to keep them from blowing off). 

Another possibility is leave five frames out of the bottom medium and add another medium and put the deep frames in and let them hang down through the top box into the bottom box.  Fill the top box out with more frames as well.  So now you have five deeps hanging down into the bottom medium and the rest of both boxes filled with medium frames.  This leaves an extra 3" or so under the deeps.  You can just let them build comb there and cut it off and tie it into mediums later.  Or you can fill that gap with something.  Two two by blocks stacked up, cut to fit the space would do.

Another possibility is to get a deep box, put the deep frames in it and fill the rest of it with mediums.  Once there is brood in some of the mediums, put the queen and these mediums in a medium box and put all the brood combs over an excluder and wait for them to emerge (21 days should do) then pull them off.

Another possibility is to do a cutout.  This does not work with plastic and is complicated by wires.  But the idea is to cut the comb out of the frame and rubber band or tie it into medium frames.

Another possibility is to shake all the bees into your medium box with frames, one frame at a time, and after the bees are off of it, run it through the table saw and cut the frame, comb and all down to 6 1/4" deep.  Very messy with honey, but not bad with brood.

>Can I just put on deep on the bottom as a brood box and then just add medium supers on top? Or do both brood boxes have to be the same size?

No, they don't have to be the same size.  It just simplifies your life in the long run once they are...

>Lastly, I live in Northeast Connecticut. I also have a package coming in the mail. I want to see the difference in an early installed package, VS the 5 frame nucs.

Reality is that you'd need about 20 of each to really understand the difference.  One colony often does remarkably better than another colony under identical conditions... so having something that is different and assuming that is the cause of the differences usually does more to mislead you than to enlighten you...

> How early is too early to install my package? Is April 1st do-able?

Our first blooms (early fruit trees) are usually  April 15.  That's probably the ideal time here where I am.  April 1st could be pretty cold here and since they have no stores and since they can't really take syrup well when the syrup is below 50 F it means when I get packages April 1 I am often collecting all the cold syrup from all the hives, warming it up and giving it back every day to keep them from starving.

>What concerns should I have when starting off early in the spring with a package?

Food.  The nuc should have some stores.  The package will have nothing.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beespackages.htm

[Steel Tiger]

 A couple years ago I drove 3 1/2 hours each way for a couple nucs. I taped the bottomboards to the hive bodies and taped paper across the entrances. I used a strap to hold the covers on and to keep them from bouncing around. When I got there, the guy showed me each frame as he pulled them from the nuc and put them into the hive body.
The temp was in the 40s so I was a bit worried about the draft, but they seemed to have made it back without much of a problem.

[jalentour]

Last year I drove 2 hours to pick up my first nuc.  I had the same concerns as you.  The bees lived and so did I. 
Had my package delivered a few days later.  It was a cool experience putting the bees into the hive.  Both are still alive.

I'm looking forward to my packages for this year. 

Don't be afraid to fail.  Enjoy your bees.

[Kathyp]

Is he putting 5 frames in a 10 frame box?  if so, you need to take the extra frames so that the 5 he puts in your box do not slide around and drop.  other than that...what everyone else said. 

i also like to screen hives when I transport them.  I keep screened bottom boards handy just for that.  then I don't have to worry about closing them up.

you can strap, staple, or even duct tape it all together, but be sure that you do something so that if you have a sudden stop or bump, you don't have it all come apart in the back of your truck.

[Michael Bush]

> if so, you need to take the extra frames so that the 5 he puts in your box do not slide around and drop.

Yes.  Every box should always have a full set of frames in it.  It may not be obvious to you until you've had them slide to an angle and fall out...