Bee Package

Here are the instructions for transferring the package of bees to a hive: UPON ARRIVAL Place the transport box in the shade and let the package of bees rest for a few minutes. TRANSFERRING THE PACKAGE OF BEES TO ITS FINAL HIVE Place your hive in its final location. 1. Open your hive and remove the 4 middle frames. Have your smoker lit and an airtight container nearby. 2. Remove the small plastic lid on top of the box and make sure the small pheromone tube is securely stapled underneath. Place the lid with the pheromones in the airtight container. This tube artificially mimics the presence of the queen, and it is essential that you keep it out of the bees' reach so as not to interfere with the acceptance of the new queen. 3. Position yourself above the open hive, and using a utility knife, cut the mesh material on one side of the box (left, top, and right sides). 4. Turn the box upside down over the hive and shake the colony out firmly. 5. Gently replace the frames in the center of the hive, close the hive, and feed the colony with 1 liter of 1:1 syrup in a Boardman type inlet feeder. You can also put half-protein patty on top of the frames. 6. Reduce the hive entrance to limit drafts, while still leaving enough space for the bees to come and go. 7. After about thirty minutes, return to the hive to place the new queen in her cage, taking care to open the cage doors so that she can be released by the bees eating the sugar on either side. Insert the cage using a toothpick passed through the hook to suspend the cage between two frames in the center. After 5 days, open the hive and check if the queen has left her cage. Remove the cage if it is empty. You can check if the queen is already laying, but it is possible that she has emerged too recently and has not yet started laying. If the queen is still in her cage, you can release her, but be careful because when you open the cage she may fly away. Wait another 5 days and check if the queen is laying eggs. If you don't find any, try looking for small larvae. If you find some, it's a sign that the queen is laying well. If you find neither eggs nor larvae, you must act quickly and introduce a new queen.