The bees are in the box now, right?
Plan to install the bees right away, even if it's cold or raining. You must keep them cool
until you can install them. If that means turning on the AC in the car, having your veil on,
and strapping the bees into the front passenger seat... so be it. If you're still reading up before your bees arrive,
check out this video from Kelley Beekeeping Supplies
for a thoughtfully prepared lesson on package bee installation.
For installing a nuc into your equipment, the directions are a bit different.
Check out the Crazy Russian Hacker
for a demo. He uses smoke to subdue the bees; try 1 c sugar to 2 c water in a spritz bottle first.
A note about the bees left behind in the box or package:
There will be some. You can gently upend the box or package, and tap it over the hive - maybe 5 inches above the hive -
and the bees will tumble into their new home. Remove the cardboard box or package ASAP
as the bees will smell evidence that bees lived there, and try to investigate.
OK, now the bees are in the box.
Just to confirm that we are both thinking this means the same thing:
That means the box with frames and bees has one hive body, on the bottom board, and the inner cover is on, and there
is a sugar syrup feeder (really, 2 parts sugar to 1 part water is great) and a pollen patty
up above the inner cover. And there is another hive body on the inner cover, no frames. And this is
topped off by the lid. Right? Right.
Oh, here is a very important tip: Keep the entrance reduced with an entrance reducer while the
hive is low in numbers, for the first 3 weeks. Later, I use half an entrance reducer all summer - I never give
the bees the full entrance. And I always use the bottom board in. Not everyone manages this way;
it's up to you.
The directions are a bit different for a package and a nuc, so first I will
talk separately about each. But for your second and future inspections, it won't
matter as much how you started.
First Inspections Menu
Before you go out to the beeyard, you'll want to get into a routine
that allows you to bring everything that you need. I don't like getting my steps in
while the hive is open because I forgot something critical.
Get a 5 gallon bucket or equivalent for the smoker, its lighter, and the fuel.
Get a 2 gallon bucket or equivalent for your inspection sheet clip board
(see my Inspections page for more info),
sugar spritz, hive tools, frame grabber,
extra pair of gloves, and the sundry other things that start to be important to have on hand.
I store my unused bee boxes out in the beeyard, with my extra frames, and sometimes
use that as a depository.
And don't forget the veil!!!
A quick note about your first inspection...
I do remember my first time opening the hive... I was feeling...unsure of the situation. ;) I can tell you that if you don't act like a bear, the bees will for the most part ignore you. Just slowly and gently pry the inner cover off, and then set it against the side of the hive, so the bees can easily crawly to the entrance. The bees will climb back in or hang out until I'm ready to put the lid on. Then I may lightly smoke the top - not fumigate. I want bees away from the frame edges so I can get my hive tool in there. If it's not too crowded yet, I won't even use smoke. Though I have the smoker going in case I crush a bee, drop a frame, or the inner cover - it happens, the bees forgive us, we move on.