Hello Beekeeping Friends and Family,
My first shipment of honeybees is arriving this weekend. I am taking pollen patties out of the freezer to make sure they are at room temperature when I place them in the hives. My equipment is warming up inside my house for a couple days before hiving. Sugar water will be made the morning of hiving at a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water. I will put a couple teaspoons of Honey B Healthy in the sugar water.
I always start with one deep brood box because more space means less warmth for the bees in early spring. I wait to set my hive equipment outside on foundation brick until minutes before hiving the bees to ensure the equipment is warm.
For folks hiving on bare foundation, don't let the sugar water run out! Top off internal sugar feeders every three days for the first several weeks.
Insulation: I make sure to insert insulation boards on both sides of the internal brood box and wrap my hives on the outside with insulation. I put 1-inch rigid foam insulation under the bottom board and inside the telescoping lid, taping the seams or edges with aluminized duct tape (foil tape).
Entrance reducers are a must this time of year!
I wait to hive my bees until it is very close to 50* or warmer. I use a spray bottle to mist the bees to help them transition from the shipping container to the hive. If it is cooler than 50* or the wind is blowing, I do not mist the bees to protect them from becoming hypothermic.
I like to keep Benedryl and Epinephrine handy just in case I have an allergic reaction to bee venom.
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