Install at 40 degrees F

[Dr. B in Wisconsin]

Hello
Just got a call to pick up bees on Saturday, I was going to go on vacation Saturday also.
I can get them early in the Morning and I looked at the hourly forecast in Wisconsin and it will be about 40 degrees F when I get back.
I have a nice deep built out with some nice honey on the outsides to put them into.
My question is it too cold to install at about 40, I could wait a couple more hours, but, what is the lowest temperature to install?
any thoughts??
Thanks all

[Acebird]

Dr, a package has no brood.  Install them as fast as you can because the queen is the one you need to worry about.  Maybe warm them up in your garage and then dump them into your box outside where it is cold.  Because you warmed them up they can fly but where ever they land they will cool down and not be able to fly.  So try to get most of them in the box.  I would just let the queen go so they can keep her warm.

[Van, Arkansas, USA]

Just a thought, could one place an EMPTY hive box with HONEY in a warm environment then take the EMPTY warm hive body with HONEY outside to load with bees.  If Honey has a specific heat index (heat of fusion 32F ice to 32F water) close to water, then it will hold heat very well.

Water can exist at 32F in one of 2 phases, ice or water.  If the ice obtains ?heat of fusion? then it will be water even though it is 32F.

The opposite: if water at 32F looses ?heat of fusion?  then the water will turn to ice.  In either case the temperature is constant at 32 F at sea level.

This amount of energy is enormous to go from one phase ice to another, water.  So, like I said, if Honey has similar properties to water then warming the Honey would conserve a lot of energy for the bees.  Lots and lots of calories could be saved.
Blessings

[moebees]

Installing at 40 degrees is no problem.  However, do not warm them before installing. That will just get them flying and when they hit the cold air they will never make it into the hive.  I installed 7 packages this year in similar circumstances and it is not a problem.  It actually goes better because there are fewer flying and they clump up so they are easier to pour into the hive.  Don't spray them though.

[Acebird]

A single warmed frame of honey would be great because they could feed on it.

[BeeMaster2]

I would follow Ace?s advice but put 2 frames of warm honey in the middle for them to cluster around. Since it is already warm they can feed off of it and keep the core warm once they cluster.
Jim

[BeeMaster2]

Just a thought, could one place an EMPTY hive box with HONEY in a warm environment then take the EMPTY warm hive body with HONEY outside to load with bees.  If Honey has a specific heat index (heat of fusion 32F ice to 32F water) close to water, then it will hold heat very well.

Water can exist at 32F in one of 2 phases, ice or water.  If the ice obtains ?heat of fusion? then it will be water even though it is 32F.

The opposite: if water at 32F looses ?heat of fusion?  then the water will turn to ice.  In either case the temperature is constant at 32 F at sea level.

This amount of energy is enormous to go from one phase ice to another, water.  So, like I said, if Honey has similar properties to water then warming the Honey would conserve a lot of energy for the bees.  Lots and lots of calories could be saved.
Blessings

Van,
Honey has totally different characteristics than water due to the added sugar molecules.
?In normal conditions, honey exists as viscous liquid. It is also a saturated solution of sugar. That means that there is more dissolved solids that can normally remain in the liquid phase. Honey is more sugar than water, it contains only 18 percent water and that is not enough to freeze.

Honey normally exists below its melting point, it is a supercooled liquid. At very low temperatures, honey will not freeze solid. Instead, as the temperatures become lower, the viscosity of honey increases, meaning it will becmore more thicker. Like most viscous liquids, the honey will become thick and sluggish with decreasing temperature.

Phase 1
At −20 ?C (−4 ?F), honey may appear or even feel solid, but it will continue to flow at very low rates.

Phase 2
Honey has a glass transition between −42 and −51 ?C (−44 and −60 ?F).

Phase 3
Below this temperature, honey enters a glassy state and will become an amorphous solid (noncrystalline)?
Jim

[Michael Bush]

40 F is about ideal.  They will drift very little.

[beepro]

So how did the install went?

[Dr. B in Wisconsin]

Hello All
Install went fine, I waited a little later in the day and it was 45 degrees, It was a great idea to warm up the hive
I checked today and the queen is out and I am hoping for a great year.
Thanks for all the great ideas.