Hiving packaged bees

Casimir · April 11, 2007, 03:40:50 PM

I am wondering if there is a minimum temperature when hiving packaged bees.

buzzbee · April 11, 2007, 06:24:51 PM

I would think in the 40's would be okay. we hived ours last week in the 40's and it got real cold afterward
and they seem to be okay but we had drawn comb and there is some pollen around. You may want to post your location so you can get a good answer for your location.

Casimir · April 11, 2007, 07:25:32 PM

I live in Northern California at 5000 ft. I attached the link for the weather. weather.yahoo.com/forecast/USCA0019.html

buzzbee · April 11, 2007, 07:34:33 PM

I 'd like to have some of your temps. What type of feeder will you use?
Getting the syrup is important on plain foundation.

Kathyp · April 11, 2007, 07:53:47 PM

hey, my old back yard! i went to Colfax high for a year or two. :-)

i did mine last year at around 40 degrees. it was a damp day. it did get warmer after that and most of the nights were above freezing although we did have some frost early may.

Casimir · April 11, 2007, 08:05:05 PM

Quote from: buzzbee on April 11, 2007, 07:34:33 PM
I 'd like to have some of your temps. What type of feeder will you use?
Getting the syrup is important on plain foundation.

I have front feeders but am think of picking up top feeders. Which one would be better?

Brian D. Bray · April 14, 2007, 07:35:53 PM

Interior feeders will work best. Either canister or top feeders--I personally, prefer the canister feeders.
Feeders on the outside of hives are also accessable to bees from other hives and can start a robbing frenzy between hives. Boardman feeder work if you use them internally instead of externally. Set 3-4 on top of the frames inside an empty super.

TwT · April 14, 2007, 08:20:00 PM

in cold weather I choose baggie feeding, it is easy for some and not to easy for others but a good way to feed in cooler weather...
here's a link!!!

http://www.beesource.com/eob/baggie.htm

MarkR · April 14, 2007, 09:55:15 PM

Thanks for the link TwT. Several people have mentioned baggie feeding to me in the past couple of days and I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out what they were talking about.

Mark

AllanJ · April 14, 2007, 10:15:38 PM

I'm going to try my first baggie tomorrow. I tried it out with water today and was measuring how many cups to get it to 3/4 full which came to 8 cups.. 2 quarts or half a gallon.

I removed the Mann Lake Top feeder on Friday and temporarily put in a Boardman feeder. Since I do not have any other hives around, I should be safe using it for a couple of days.

TwT · April 14, 2007, 10:29:49 PM

just remembr you have to have a spacer between the top and the frames!!!!!!

Michael Bush · April 15, 2007, 11:19:37 AM

Like TwT said, make sure the baggie is not getting squished or all the syrup will run out and drown a lot of bees.

MarkR · April 15, 2007, 11:22:56 AM

Gotcha! Thanks to both of you.

Mark

AllanJ · April 15, 2007, 11:47:53 AM

I got a couple of these..
http://www.betterbee.com/products.asp?dept=1562

Although like most of the equipment I have brought, the moment I have it, I realize how easy it is to make one up myself.

Kathyp · April 15, 2007, 12:08:11 PM

i bought my first one then made all the others. some things i will buy just because i don't have the time to make everything, but when it's just 4 sticks nailed together, i can make the time :-)

one additional note: i was painting the stuff i put together yesterday. if occurred to me that the handles on the supers would work much better if they were on the outside of the box. :(