Getting 1st package today, but 40 degrees and rainy!

[Devbee]

Should I wait until tomorrow (high of 50 degrees and showers clearing out by afternoon) to put them in the hive or do it today?

Thanks, beeks!

[Cindi]

I would wait until the nicer weather.  It won't harm the bees to keep them another day in their package home.  Spray a little sugar water on the screen to keep them happy.  I had to keep mine in my garage a day last year because it was not a good day to put the bees into their new home.  Good luck.  Have a wonderful day.  Cindi

[Michael Bush]

I WISH I had a 40 degree day.  I got 22 packages yesterday and it was in the 20's.  Today is in the 30's.  Still too cold and windy.  They are all in the basement now.  I'm HOPING for a day in the 40's tomorrow so I can install them.

[beekeeperookie]

I am getting my package Wednesday and its going to be:

Wednesday
High: 54° F
Low: 36° F
Rain showers likely.

Thursday
High: 51° F
Low: 35° F
Rain mixed with snow showers.

Friday
High: 57° F
Low: 32° F
Partly
 I would like to try and hold off until Friday but dont want them to stay in the cage that long I am open to suggestions on which day?   :?

[Cindi]

Well, I don't know for sure if I always trust the weather forecast in our area.  Sometimes my own forecasting of short term  weather by watching cloud and wind signs is far more accurate than the weather channel for our area.  This comes from years of intensely being intuned with weather sign watching at my home.

Why don't you just go day by day and see how the weather is each day.  BUT, then maybe where you live the weather can be reasonably accurately determined.  Mine is not accurate by no stretch of that imagination. 

It will not hurt your package bees to stay for a few days before you hive them.  Best of this day good health.  Cindi

[reinbeau]

Well, I'm going to mildly disagree.  While it may not do them any harm, they're better off being in their hive than in the package for days.  We hived four packages yesterday in 35 degree temps, the bees were calm, we didn't shake them, we left the packages inside within an empty super, and we'll take them out probably tomorrow (Greg has checked them and most of the bees have left the packages, but it's so windy out there he doesn't want to shake the rest out).  Our club members were discussing hiving or holding off yesterday, and the consensus was get them in the hive.  So we did!  :)

[Cindi]

Ann, there you go in a nutshell.  That is excellent.  So the concensus is to do exactly what you did, I think you are absolutely correct.  That would be far less stress to the bees to just leave the package in the box and let them get out on their own.

When we got packages up here the past two years it was around the 3rd week of April, so we did not even have to entertain any worries about the temperatures being adverse.  It is pretty nice out by then.

I know of some people that got package bees around March 1 of this year.  They were in the Bee Masters Course with me.  It would have been cold here at that point in time, I am not sure of the temperature, but they probably hived them anyways.  I am curious if any of these guys did a similar method with their packages.

Good for you Ann.  You have some good first hand information for members of our forum that are very worried about whether to hive their packages in the cold or not.  Yeah!!!  Have a wonderful day, good health.  Cindi

[buzzbee]

We hived two packages outdoors last Monday.I checked on them Friday and all was fine.
It has been cold all week.Last year Buzzbee jr installed right before a cold snap and snowstorm and it all worked well.

[likes2grill]

With the temps in the 50's during the day I'd install them. They will fly at temps above 42.

[ZuniBee]

Mine come tomorrow and it looks like a high of 50. When it is cold do you hive them late afternoon when it is hottest of should I still wait until right before sunset?

[reinbeau]

It was kind of nice to take advantage of the coolness in that they didn't fly much.  But 50's is pretty warm, so I'd probably just get it done as soon as possible.

We took the blocks of the entrances this morning and all seems well.  Fingers crossed!  :)

[Sean Kelly]

I've got the same problem here.  My bees are coming Sunday and it's raining all week (like I'm suprised, it is Seattle after all).  Looking at the mid 50's.  I guess I could put up a plastic tarp like a tent.   Are there any problems with installing in the rain?

Sean

[Michael Bush]

>Are there any problems with installing in the rain?

As long as it's not pouring, no.

[tillie]

In Kim Flottum's book, The Backyard Beekeeper, he says if you have to keep the packages in the basement for several days, don't assume there is enough or any food in the feeding can.  He says:

"You'll also need to feed the bees.  Get a new, unused spray bottle (such as those used for misting plants) and mix up a sugar water solution of 1/3 sugar to 2/3 water by volume, that is, one cup white sugar mixed with two cups warm water.  As soon as possible spray some of this solution through the screen directly onto the bees.  Don't saturate them, but moisten as many bees as possible through both sides of the package.  Do this at least a couple of times a day as long as they are in storage.  The feeder could be plugged or empty, so don't assume they have food available."

Linda T in Atlanta

[Michael Bush]

>don't assume there is enough or any food in the feeding can.

I always pull the cans and refill them.  They are often empty.  Sometimes they are still half full.  If they have the rubber grommets on them, they are easy to refill.  If not, poke a big enough hole in the bottom to get the syrup in and plug it with beeswax when you are done.

Of course you can also feed them on the screen wire.