installed package

[Shanevrr]

but I notice a lot of bees hanging outside the hive, around lid, and stand in such.  Its getting cold and dark should I just leave them alone and they find there own way. its going to be cold tonight, will they survive? also they dont seem to be using reducer hole

[AllenF]

Give them a bit.   With the queen inside, they will follow.

[Shanevrr]

you mean days? its been 4 hours

[AllenF]

No, before dark.    Can they get in the entrance?

[Shanevrr]

its dark now, yea they can get to entrance

[Shanevrr]

[Shanevrr]

[Hethen57]

Some will go in, but many will sit outside and bunch up in small groups or just find a place to sit and die.  I think they have good intentions of catching some rays and then flying back in to the hive, but when the temps drop they start freezing up and stay outside overnight to die in the cold.  Many from my packages did the same thing today because the weather was not ideal, and my hives often do that on the first nice Spring days as well.

[thegolfpsycho]

If you have another hive body, put the package inside and on top of the hive body you are introducing them to.  They will exit the package to join the queen and clustered bees below the inner cover.  If you only have single hive bodys, pull some frames, hang the queen, and put the package in the open space created by pulling the frames.  Again, they will leave the package to join the bees clustered with the caged queen.  Leaving the packages on the ground as in the picture, you get lots of "lost" bees that don't survive the cold, or drift and you can get a very strong young colony, and a couple weak ones.  They don't know where home is if you don't show em.

[Shanevrr]

i dumped in hives but they wouldnt leave that one alone for nothing, id shake them off and they go right back, owell

[Shanevrr]

i have one hive with noticably more bees than others, maybe twice as much, why is this?  how long should i wait before checkg queen release

[AliciaH]

Others will have more suggestions on timing, but I was originally taught to wait 4 days.  I know it's tempting to peak, but I would caution against it.  They need to settle and feel comfortable in their new home.

As for one hive having more bees than the others, it looks like your hives are all pretty close.  It could be a drifting issue, one queen's pheromones may be stronger than the others. 

I wouldn't do anything while they are still settling.  But after that, when the queens are laying and everyone's comfy, you could swap the location of the stronger population hive with a weaker one to help balance the population out. 

[Shanevrr]

ya i took another peek in entrance, looks like hugh ball of bees inside, but i will wait, but cant wait lol

[AliciaH]

ya i took another peek in entrance, looks like hugh ball of bees inside, but i will wait, but cant wait lol

Yea, makes ya want to bite your nails, doesn't it?  One of the reasons I love top feeders so much is I can lift the lid and watch the girls get their syrup without disrupting the whole group.  Kinda' cheating....but not.... ;)

[Shanevrr]

yea i got top feeders but cant see much