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Author Topic: When to check on a new installation  (Read 1418 times)

Offline oldenglish

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When to check on a new installation
« on: April 08, 2009, 12:13:09 am »
I hived two langstroth and one TBH on monday, all foundationless.
Apart from opening the top to add feed, how long should I wait until doing a more thorough inspection ?
I did direct release of the queens and as far as I can tell each hive is acting as expected, but then again I am new at this so what do I know  :-D

On a side note, in keeping with naming every animal on the place my kids named the queens, Elizabeth, Mary and Victoria. I guess if one does not work out I become Henry.

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: When to check on a new installation
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2009, 12:28:45 am »
I hived two langstroth and one TBH on monday, all foundationless.
Apart from opening the top to add feed, how long should I wait until doing a more thorough inspection ?
I did direct release of the queens and as far as I can tell each hive is acting as expected, but then again I am new at this so what do I know  :-D

On a side note, in keeping with naming every animal on the place my kids named the queens, Elizabeth, Mary and Victoria. I guess if one does not work out I become Henry.

I usually wait 5-7 days.  That's long enough to get them started but short enough that they haven't buried the queen cage in the comb.

Now the fund begins.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline oldenglish

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Re: When to check on a new installation
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2009, 12:47:32 am »
looks like saturday is the day, they have the rain coming back Sunday. Hopefully it will be gone again when I get the next two packages on wednesday.

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: When to check on a new installation
« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2009, 12:48:55 am »
I don't worry too much about the weather here in the PNW as the weather forcasts are usually only half right half the time.  If my hand gets wet when I stick it out the window I know it's raining where I am, might not be the same across the street or 1/2 mile down the road. 
I finally got into my bees during our roasty toasty Sunny 67 F Tuesday.  Checked out both hives and split the Russians.  When I split I put them into a double stacked medium nuc with the bees in the top.  Bees hate a empty space so they will begin working it pretty quickly.  I used one frame of honey and pollen and 3 frames of mixed brood.  I put out 2 gallons of syrup and the bees are ignoring it.  I was kind of surprised to see so much fresh new honey in the hives this early, but the bees are getting out for a few hours every day, unlike last year when we had snow in mid-April.  I ended up cutting out 3 1/2 frames of new honey in order to straighten up a mess.  Yummy...so good, got 4 1/2 pints so handed some out to relatives.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!