Installing package bees on drawn foundation

[GaryMinckler]

I have a deep hive body and a medium super with drawn foundation in both and a little honey in the medium. Should I put the bees in just the hive body or put them in the hive body and immediately add the medium super?

[The Bix]

 I've only had one year of experience, so certainly discount the source.  That said, I would put them in the deep with drawn comb, leave off the super and feed them.  The drawn comb is a huge boost with a new package.  I can see a big difference between last year's and this year's packages.  Last year's packages were installed on bare foundation and 1:1 syrup.  This year I had several extra frames of drawn comb and the packages this year are way ahead and doing well.  I would save the super and drop it on later once the colony expands.

[VolunteerK9]

I went throught the same dilema earlier in April. I had a drawn deep and a shallow about 70% full of honey. I hated not to use the honey frames thinking about the boost it would give the bees but what I found was that the queen layed all the eggs in the shallow with very little action going on in the deep. (keeping the brood with the food) More experienced beeks will chime in with better advice but if I had it to do all over, I would just freeze the honey and put the package in the deep and feed syrup for a while and later introduce the medium. Just my .02 :)

[Finski]

If you give to the swarm/ package a langtsroth box, it needs 2 kg bees/ 4lbs to be occupied.

If you give too much space, bees have difficulties to keep brood area warm.

before the new bees startto emerge, number of workers may drop 50%. It takes 4 weeks before the colony start to enlarge.

But if it is good nectar flow, take care that the bees have  free combs to lay and store food. Otherwise they swarm.

[Finski]

.
If the swarm is 4 kg, it occupye 2 langstroth boxes and is able to handle brood area and honey yield.