Installing a Package of Honeybees in New England

Please read all directions carefully before installing package.

Follow these IMPORTANT STEPS and you will be on your way to becoming a BEEKEEPER!

1. Remove inner and outer cover from hive. Remove two frames to create a space to pour bees into hive. You will be installing the package into one deep hive body.
2. Remove cork from the candy end of the queen cage. It is my recommendation that you do not poke a hole through the candy.
3. Attach the queen to the center frame, giving the bees access to the screen of the queen cage. The bees must have access to the queen in order to feed her and collect her phermones.
4. Do not spray the bees with sugar water in cold weather or if the temperature is going to be below 50 degrees within 4 hours of installation. Pour bees into hive. Give them a few minutes to disperse onto the frames. Move the frames together to close the gap left when you removed the two frames. Put the two frames back into the hive to complete the 10 frames in the brood box. Feed one gallon of medicated syrup (1:1 syrup with Fumagilin-B and Essential oil supplement) .Close up the hive. Check hive as often as necessary to make sure the bees do not run out of Syrup.
5. After the first gallon of Syrup is fed it is not necessary to feed medicated Syrup. A 1:1 mixture of sugar and water with one ounce of Essential oil stimulant per gallon is recommended for feeding until the brood boxes are built out with comb. Do not feed Syrup when Honey Supers are put on.
6. If outside temperatures drop below 20 degrees, consider screening off the entrances and bring the bees into a garage or basement until the temperature warms up. The bees need a few days to consume syrup, build comb and establish a cluster.
7. After 2-3 days check for queen release. If she has been released, take out the queen cage and make sure the frames are pushed tight together. If she has not been released wait and check every 2 days until release. (It should not take more than 5 days to release a queen.)
8. Check frames for eggs 5-7 days after queen has been released.
9. Two weeks after queen release check for a good brood pattern. Treat for mites with one Api-Guard (Thymol) tray leaving treatment on for 7-10 days.
10. When removing treatment, check brood pattern and make sure bees are drawing out comb properly. Scrape off any irregular comb being very careful as to not damage the queen if she is around or behind any of the comb you are removing.
11. Once the bees build out 7-8 frames add second brood box.
12. Once the bees have built out 7 frames in upper brood box add a queen excluder and a honey super.
13. If after 7-10 days there is no activity in the honey super, you may remove the excluder. Once you see the bees become actively drawing out comb in the honey super, shake all the bees from the honey super into the brood box. Put the excluder back on and then the honey super over the excluder. You do not want to trap the queen above the queen excluder.
14. We thank you for ordering your bees through New England Beekeeping. Contact Rick Reault or Rick Thibault at New England Beekeeping by e-mail (rick@nebees.com) or by phone (978) 957-2233 for any of your Beekeeping questions.

Username:

Password:

login

Forgot Your Username or Password? Click Here.

Copyright 2006. New England Beekeeping Supplies, Inc. - Website and Logo Design By 2think Design