24lbs of bees

IAFF · May 21, 2010, 12:02:29 PM

Have 6 4lbs packs being shipped today. I work Sunday at the firehouse for 24 hours the day I think they will hit the post office. My question if they do land Sunday can I keep them in the bed of the pickup till monday? It is calling for rain Sunday. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Steven

AllenF · May 21, 2010, 12:08:35 PM

Keep them in your house so they don't over heat. You can spray syrup over the screens to make sure they have plenty to eat for the day if the cans are getting light.

G3farms · May 21, 2010, 12:19:57 PM

a cool dark quiet place would be much better for them than in the bed of a truck while it is raining on them.

sugar water or even just water sprayed or painted on the screen will help out while they are waiting to be hived.

G3

lenape13 · May 21, 2010, 12:36:39 PM

Quote from: IAFF on May 21, 2010, 12:02:29 PM
Have 6 4lbs packs being shipped today. I work Sunday at the firehouse for 24 hours the day I think they will hit the post office. My question if they do land Sunday can I keep them in the bed of the pickup till monday? It is calling for rain Sunday. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Steven

Now, that's a six pack that I'd like to take care of! No, don't leave them in the truck. The heat would bake them. As mentioned earlier, a cool place is best, and spritz them good with syrup. Don't brush it on though, the bristles can break off little bee feet, and I don't think you want to try making prostetic feet for all those crippled bees.

Superdog · May 21, 2010, 02:53:40 PM

your post office is open on Sundays?

IAFF · May 21, 2010, 05:02:22 PM

post offices never close. Mail and bees always move on Sundays. After talking to my dad who works there they should arrive tomorrow around 2pm, my day off. :-D

AllenF · May 21, 2010, 05:10:24 PM

That's great. Now you have something to do all afternoon.

jhs494 · May 21, 2010, 07:11:44 PM

Good luck with your packages, and keep us posted on how things progress.

IAFF · May 23, 2010, 03:11:33 PM

On a whim drove an hour yesterday to the post office to see if they had arrived, they were just coming of the truck(all six just fine). The unloader asked me to look at some other bees that had come in. One crate with 3 three pound packages. Out of the 3 packages two were dead. Different company from mine but still out of Ga. Been on the loading dock 45 minutes.
Long story short all bees in the hives and are flying everywhere. Side note the baby calves that get too curious sure don't like all them flying things :-D

Kathyp · May 23, 2010, 03:22:06 PM

make sure your cows are fence off from contact with the hives. they like to rub on stuff. you'll find your hives knocked over.

glad your bees made it. there are horror stories about how the PO handles bees. remember one where the PO worker put the hives in plastic bags so that the strays were not flying around. didn't end well!

IAFF · May 23, 2010, 03:28:16 PM

The hives got moved this fall into the yard due to cows rubbing on them and the sighting of a sow and two cubs this deer season. The calves can see the hives against the fence and come up for a peek only to leave quickly with their tail in the air. :-D

AllenF · May 23, 2010, 06:01:43 PM

Of the two that were dead at the post office, in your opinion since you saw them up close, what do you think killed them off.

IAFF · May 23, 2010, 07:49:48 PM

The dock worker only noticed the middle package being dead and when I told him the second package was dead he said the second wasn't dead when it arrived forty five minutes before mine, I grabbed mine and got them away from there. My bees were picked up in Savannah and rode to Roanoke. These bees from a different apiary in Ga. came thru Washington DC. Maybe they put em on a plane from Ga. to DC. down I81 to Roanoke? Don't know other than that. Any ideas?