Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: colbees on March 19, 2013, 11:59:23 am

Title: Package bees
Post by: colbees on March 19, 2013, 11:59:23 am

Hi everyone my bees dies over the winter :(, and i will be buying a package of 3,000 bees in the spring. Is it possible that i could take half of the bees in the package and make a new hive? Or do you have to have 3,000 bees for the colony to start up? Thanks

Title: Re: Package bees
Post by: Moots on March 19, 2013, 12:08:02 pm

Are you sure you're not buying a 3 pound package?  That's really the norm.  A 3 pound package is probably somewhere between 9,000 and 12,000 bees....give or take. 
As for splitting a package.  My rookie opinion would be that it's challenging enough to get a package to survive, the last thing you would want to do is make it twice as hard for them.  Not to mention, 1 package comes with 1 queen, so if you split them, you need another queen.

Good luck.  :)

Title: Re: Package bees
Post by: sterling on March 19, 2013, 12:22:53 pm

You would be better off letting them build up then splitting them with a new queen for the split.

Title: Re: Package bees
Post by: Michael Bush on March 19, 2013, 12:35:09 pm

I would make a strong split later instead of splitting it when they have nothing.  "Critical mass" makes a lot of difference.

Title: Re: Package bees
Post by: rubeehaven2 on March 19, 2013, 06:37:18 pm

I'm no expert, but I wouldn't split a new package.  Perhaps you can put out a swarm trap or two and build up a little in that way.  (If your lucky enough to catch a swarm!)

Good luck!

Rich