I am in a pickle

beekeeperookie · May 17, 2007, 09:44:33 AM

Ok, here is my dilema, I just went a week with hiving my package of bees on April 29th which was a Sunday, I normally would done my one week inspection this pass sunday but i work 12 hour shifts and dont get home until seven oclock. I figure that was to late and i wanted to wait until my days off which was Tuesday/Wednesday/ and today(thursday). Well, tuesday was a very windy day, so i but it off. Wednesday was stormy, so i have today well its cool, cloudy, and a chance of rain off and on throughout the day. My question is should i just face the music and check on them today even though the girls will be cranky or just wait until i have the next oppurtunity? :?

kensfarm · May 17, 2007, 10:12:24 AM

I don't see why you can't do a quick check.. see if the queen has been released.. remove the queen cage.. and make sure the frames are in order. Give them a little smoke.. wait a few minutes.

I installed 2 packages last Friday.. I need to a quick check too.

beekeeperookie · May 17, 2007, 12:13:29 PM

well i just check my bees it stop raining and of course most of the girls where in the hive. So i smoke them they ate everything out of the top feeder not sure if i need to put more in there or not thinking of giving them a bee pattie, will take suggestions on which one. The queen is out but where the cage was they are attaching comb to both frames, what do you guys do about that tear it off i pulled them apart, but with so many bees in the hive wasnt able to really get a good look at what was going on in the hive, there is about four frames on each side that they havent filled out yet. it looks at they are just filling out the comb right now
http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/5600/picture255bi3.jpg

Bennettoid · May 17, 2007, 01:05:53 PM

Keep feeding them, it stimulates them to draw comb. Some Fumigellin helps with package Bees as well.

Scadsobees · May 17, 2007, 01:53:08 PM

Hi
Yes, ditto on keeping syrup available, at least till they have most of 2 boxes drawn out. They shouldn't need to much pollen sub this time of year, there is lots available.

As far as the comb situation goes....sounds like you straightened them out? Make sure it is cleaned up and straight. Not much choice there. In the future, if you leave a frame out for the queen cage, don't wait more than four or seven days after adding to check and take that back out. They will fill all the available space with comb, and if they have extra, it will go right across.

Other than that it sounds like they are doing just fine assuming that you have eggs and brood.

Rick

Brian D. Bray · May 17, 2007, 07:03:51 PM

I disagree with the the keep feeding advice. The bees should be bringing in enough nectar from outside the hive to meet their needs for food, brood rearing, comb building, and storage. Over feeding doesn't promote comb building, they can't draw comber any faster with excess syrup without having more bees committed to making wax. You can't get more bees making wax unless they are rearing brood.
Over feeding stimulates storage. Too much storage makes the hive honey bound and the bees can't raise the bees they need to develop the hive. Then things comb to a screeching halt. Now comb building, very little activity until enough of the stores are consume to free up more space for rearing brood.

Overfeeding is counter productive to hive development. I consider it poor management.
That statement ought to garner a response.

I feed 1 gallon of syrup per hive and then let the bees be bees. I don't feed them again unless there is a very good reason to warrent it.

TwT · May 17, 2007, 10:32:41 PM

Quote from: Brian D. Bray on May 17, 2007, 07:03:51 PM
I disagree with the the keep feeding advice. The bees should be bringing in enough nectar from outside the hive to meet their needs for food, brood rearing, comb building, and storage.

on a new package i disagree, and by the looks of that pic the hive needs to build up and sugar syrup makes bee's and draws comb, now when they get a deep drawn or stop taking syrup then I would quiet feeding, until then feed all they will take.

beekeeperookie · May 18, 2007, 05:03:59 AM

well i went and fed them again, i figure they would use this syrup, and be done with it.

kensfarm · May 18, 2007, 09:41:13 AM

I checked on my packages yesterday evening.. the queens had been released and the bees had already started building comb from the bridges between the frames where the queen cage was inserted. I cleaned up the frames.. then let them get back to work.

Scott Derrick · May 19, 2007, 12:00:27 AM

I agree with TWT on feeding new packages. I pour the 1 to 1 to them when I put either a new package or a new swarm in on foundation (pierco). It always make a huge difference. After it is drawn out I consider how the flow is going and the amount of stores they have put away prior to discontinuing the syrup.

Scott

pdmattox · May 19, 2007, 01:04:26 AM

I am also in agreement to feeding new package. If you want to draw foundation and make bees there is nothing like syrup to do it with. I use black plastic foundation and they will not draw that unless the syrup is feed continously.

AllanJ · May 19, 2007, 08:00:32 AM

I noticed with my 2 new packages that there was very few forages. So it really did not matter if there was a flow on as most of the older bees were staying in the hive to take care of the brood etc.. Sure, there was some pollen and nectar coming in, but they certainly was not lining up at the entrance.

I figure I would keep feeding them until 21 days after I first saw eggs. From that point, the number of foragers would increase and they would be more outside the hive.

n9kww · May 19, 2007, 12:10:51 PM

I agree keep feeding them, they will let you know when they have necter and other sources to draw from. I have always fed them this way, have 100% success with packages, never had an issue.
I beleive that the bees are smarter then we are, they know what they need and how much, so i let them dictate feeding.
Ron