Odds of survival??

[ranger774]

 So we have two new 3 lb. boxes of bees, hived up and clustering on plastic frames.  The high temps the next 4 days range from 47 to 57.  The over night lows range from 29 tonight to 40 degrees 3 nights later.  Can the bees make it through this cold spell?  They were just installed so they have nothing stored upl.

[forrestcav]

you are feeding correct? if not I would be throwing the 1:1 syrup to them. I hived a nuc yesterday on an orchard full of crimson and white clover. I still gave them two frames of uncapped my other hive donated and two quarts of syrup in a hive top feeder.
they'll fly about 45 degrees and cluster at night. I say feed feed feed.

[Robo]

Ditto,   Feed them syrup,  preferably in an inverted jar/can right over the cluster so they can get to it even in cold weather.

If it make you feel better,  I have installed packages in the middle of a blizzard (not by choice) and they all made it through fine.

[Kathyp]

that's normal in oregon.  they do fine.

[ranger774]

Thanks for the replys, I will worry a little less now.  And yes I am feeding with a foam top feeder.

[bee-nuts]

I would use a few inverted jars that way you can switch the jars every morning bringing a warm one out from your house and taking the cold one off the hive.  Cold syrup is thick and will not run well, warm syrup is thin and the bees can access it faster.  If I had just a few packages thats what I would do in these temps.

Either way, the bees will be just fine.  You really have nothing to worry about.  I have a flow going right now off all the pin cherry, crap apple and such.  It is supposed to warm up into the 60's finally for most of the coming week so the bees can actually do something.

[Michael Bush]

You can always warm the syrup to as hot as you can put your finger in it without getting burned and they can take that really well until the syrup drops below 50 F.