Package bees
Package bees are produced in the southern states and California for shipping to northern beekeepers who wish to strengthen weak colonies or establish new colonies in the spring. Packages are available in 2-, 3- , or 5-pound sizes (Figure 12). The most popular packages are the 2- and 3-pound sizes. Each pound represents about 3,500 bees. A newly mated queen is included in those packages to be used for developing new colonies. Packages intended for strengthening weak colonies may be ordered with or without a queen.
You should order packages in January or February to ensure timely delivery in early spring (April). If you are installing packages on drawn combs containing honey and pollen, you can do so in early April; if you are installing them on comb foundation, then you should order them to arrive in late April or early May. Beekeepers in northern areas may wish to delay shipments for a couple of weeks. Package bees could die if installed on foundation in temperatures below 57°F (14°C) because too few bees will be able to break cluster and move to syrup feeders. Bees clustered on combs of honey, on the other hand, do not have to break cluster in order to eat.
Standard wooden shipping cages measure about 6 x 10 x 16 inches with wire screen on the long sides for ventilation. A can containing a food supply of 50 percent sugar syrup is positioned in the middle of the cage. A few small holes in the bottom of the can allow the bees to withdraw the syrup. A young mated queen is housed in a separate cage that is suspended at the top of the package next to the feeder can. Two or three worker bees (attendants) commonly are caged with the queen to care for her. Queen cages usually are supplied with a food source of sugar candy. A mite treatment strip may also be suspended from the top of the cage or stapled to the back of the queen cage. Packages are braced about a foot apart to protect them from crowding and overheating during shipment.
You can obtain packages from a local beekeeper or supply dealer who has purchased them in bulk from a reputable package producer, or you can order them directly from the producer and have them shipped by U.S. mail. You should alert officials at the post office about the expected date of arrival and should request immediate notification.
Upon arrival, you should inspect package bees for unusual numbers of dead bees. Some bee mortality is normal, but when dead bees accumulate more than an½ inch in the bottom of the shipping cage or when queens are dead on arrival, you should file a damage claim with the postal clerk immediately, noting their condition. You should then send this statement to the shipper so that losses may be replaced.
Package bees are perishable, so handle them with care. Before installing, protect them from wind and cold but do not put them in a heated area. If packages arrive when the temperature is below 45°F (18°C) and are to be transported in an open truck, cover them with burlap or paper while in transit. If transported in a closed truck or car, no extra protection is needed.
You should try to install packages as soon as possible after their arrival, although you can delay installation for up to 48 hours with little difficulty. Feed the bees as soon as you get them and continue feeding until they are installed. Spray or sprinkle the cage screen with 50 percent sugar syrup, preferably in a room where the temperature is around 70°F (21°C). Avoid brushing the syrup onto the screen, as this may injure the bees’ mouthparts. After feeding the bees, store them in a cool, dry, and preferably dark place, such as a basement, porch, or garage. Storage temperature should be between 50° (10°C) and 60°F (15°C). The bees will recluster around their queen and become quiet. Package bees soon die if they are stored where the temperature is above 80°F (26°C) or if they are left standing in the sun.
Before the packages arrive, the hives to be used should be assembled, in place, and ready to receive them. Ideally, package bees should be installed in late afternoon or early evening, when there is little opportunity for flight. On cool days, package bees may be put into hives at any time. If the bees are well fed, they are much easier to install.
Start your installation by opening the empty hive and removing six consecutive combs. Insert the entrance reducer to provide the smallest hive opening. Then close the entrance completely by placing some green grass in the small opening (Figure 13). This will keep the bees in the hive until they settle down. The temporary grass entrance plug can be removed after installation is completed.
Now with your hive ready to receive the package bees, remove the square piece of wood that covers the top and next remove the feeder can. The queen cage attached near the feeder can should be removed and checked to make sure the queen is alive. Remove the cork or any other covering from the candy end of the queen cage and make a small hole through the candy using either a nail or toothpick-sized twig (Figure 14). Take care that you do not injure the queen. The hole should be small enough to prevent the bees from coming out immediately, but large enough so the bees can release their queen in 24 to 48 hours.
There are several different ways to install or transfer the bees from the mailing cage to the hive. One method is to place the mailing cage in the open space left after removing the six frames, allowing the bees to exit by themselves. The first step in this type of installation is to wedge the queen cage between the top bars of the two combs (Figure 15) next to the mailing cage. Place the queen cage with the candy end up, so dead worker bees within the cage do not block the exit hole. Bees should have maximum access to the screen face of the queen’s cage so that they can feed her and receive her chemical pheromones. Shake about a handful or two of bees around the queen cage to expedite movement of the bees from the package to the combs. During cool weather, shake more bees on the queen cage to prevent the queen from becoming chilled. Return to the hive in 4 or 5 days to remove the empty mailing and queen cages and replace the frames.
A better way to install packages is by shaking the package. Prepare the hive as described previously. Just before opening the package, sprinkle both sides of the screened shipping cage with sugar syrup so the bees’ wings become wet (Knock the bees to the bottom of the cage by jarring a corner of the package against the ground or hive. As you remove the feeder can, sprinkle the bees through the top opening (Do not overdo the sprinkling in cool weather. Remove the queen cage, inspect the queen, and place the cage aside but not in direct sunlight. Gently shake the bees out of the package into the open space left by the removal of the six frames (Figure 16). While the bees will fall out fairly readily, you still should jar the package against the ground two or three times, collecting any remaining bees in one corner of the package before reshaking remaining bees into the hive. If the bees’ wings are damp with syrup, there will be little flying. Leave the mailing cage beside the entrance, touching the bottom board overnight so any remaining bees can escape. With the hive tool, gently level the pile of bees on the bottom board. You can position the queen cage, with cork removed from the candy end, between two frames as previously described. An alternative is to directly release the queen. To direct release a queen, first sprinkle a little syrup on the queen through the queen cage screen. Next, lower the queen cage into the hive close to one of the exposed combs. Remove the screen with your hive tool and let the queen crawl onto the comb or among the bees. Carefully replace the previously removed combs to avoid injuring the bees and the queen. Replace the inner and outer covers
Feeding Packages Syrup 
One of the most important considerations in developing a strong colony from a package is to supply plenty of food until a strong nectar flow begins. Unless you install your packages on drawn combs containing sufficient honey and pollen (taken from existing colonies or from storage), you should plan to feed the bees immediately upon installation and continue feeding them until they are able to fend for themselves. This is critically important when installing packages on foundation.
There are several efficient ways of feeding sugar syrup to your colonies. One of the easiest methods of getting food to colonies hived from packages is to invert a feeder can or plastic jar over the hole in the inner cover. (Figure 16) You can make this feeder by punching ten to fifteen small nail holes in the lid of a jar or can with removable lid (such as coffee can or clean paint can). Do not leave the hive top and feeder can exposed—place an empty hive body on top of the hive body with the bees to enclose the feeder and replace the outer cover (see “Feeding Honey Bees” in the next chapter for more information on feeding). Leave the hive alone for at least 4 to 5 days, except to refill the feeder as needed. After 7 to 9 days, examine the hive briefly to see if the queen is accepted and laying. Use smoke sparingly during this inspection, and handle the bees and equipment gently. If either the shipping or queen cage remain in the colony, you should remove these at this time. Check a frame or two for eggs and larvae. If you find a colony without a queen (no eggs or larvae and no visible sign of the queen) you should give it another queen without delay to avoid losing the entire colony. If obtaining a new queen immediately is impossible, the only practical recourse is to combine it with a queenright package or colony.
You can also install package bees in a hive body above a double screen placed on top of an established strong colony. The warmth of the established colony on the bottom improves the development of the new colony. Hive the package by shaking the bees from the shipping container and direct release the queen (as described previously). You need to provide an entrance to the rear of the hive for the new colony and feed it sugar syrup as you would other hives established from packages.
During the first 21 days after installation, a package bee colony experiences about a 35 percent loss in population. This loss occurs because new adult workers require 21 days to develop, during which time the older bees of the existing population die. After this period, the rate of emergence of young workers begins to exceed the rate of death of older bees and the population grows. About 4 weeks after installation the population is completely restored. Some beekeepers compensate for the initial shrinkage in package bee colony size by giving each package a frame or two of capped brood from an established colony. The capped brood helps increase the population of young bees and stimulates growth of the colony. Likewise, beekeepers with colonies that have sufficient capped honey frames provide packages with one or two drawn frames containing honey to stimulate more rapid package development. The major disadvantage when giving package bees brood and honey is the possibility of spreading disease/mites to the new colony.
Newly hived package bees are very susceptible to nosema disease, which often leads to queen supersedure or queenlessness. Feeding fumagillin medicated syrup to newly installed packages is highly recommended (see “Nosema” section in the chapter on maladies).
About 1½ to 2 months after installation, when the package bee colony requires additional space, you should place another hive body of frames on top of the brood chamber, either as a super for surplus honey or for brood chamber expansion.
A nucleus colony, or nuc, is essentially a smaller hive, sometimes in a smaller box, consisting of bees in all stages of development, as well as food, a laying queen, and enough workers to cover from three to five combs (Figure 17). When placed into a full-sized hive body and given supplemental feeding, the nuc usually expands rapidly into a strong colony. When started in early spring, these hives may produce surplus honey in their first year under favorable weather and nectar flow conditions. The advantages of starting with a nuc rather than a package include: faster colony development due to the presence of brood and no break in the queen’s laying cycle; ease of establishing the unit in your own equipment; and a chance to inspect the nuc before purchasing. Sales of nucs have increased tremendously over the past few years and are making inroads into the well-established package bee businesses.
While nucleus colonies are initially more expensive than packages, their potential financial returns at season’s end more than make up for the increased purchase price. The biggest disadvantage in purchasing a nuc is the potential of disease and/or mite transmission. Inspection and certification of nucs for sale is not required and depending on how they were handled before saledisease may occur among some nucleus colonies after they are purchased. Bees that are diseased and have been fed antibiotic drugs may appear healthy, but the combs will be contaminated with disease-causing organisms. If the buyer does not continue the drug feeding program, it will be only a matter of time until the disease reappears (see “American foulbrood”). You should only purchase nucs from reputable beekeepers. Check with your local or state beekeeping association to identify beekeepers that have a good reputation for producing high-quality, disease-free nucs.
The strength of nucs varies a great deal from source to source based partly on number of frames, bee stock, and environmental conditions during the time the nuc was made up. Population differences may also be due to how long the nuc has been made up and/or the lack of well-defined guidelines for making up nucs. One beekeeper may provide one frame of brood in a five-frame nuc box, while another will provide three. Before purchasing nucs, be sure price reflects the strength of the nucleus colonies.
Purchasing established colonies is not recommended for beginners, but experienced beekeepers may find this a practical means to increase their number of colonies. Problems associated with buying used equipment and bees include determining the true market value, the potential of picking up disease, and getting equipment that is highly variable in condition and possibly not of standard dimensions.
While financial returns from an established colony can be realized in the first season, beginners usually are not adequately experienced to manage a full-strength colony. Purchasing smaller units such as packages or nucs in the spring allows a beginner to develop better beekeeping skills and grow in confidence and managerial skills as the colony size increases during the season.
Collecting honey bee swarms in the spring is an excellent way to replace winter losses, strengthen weak colonies, or start new ones. Primary swarms are valuable; they may contain as many as 25,000 bees plus the queen. In comparison, a 3-pound package will number approximately 10,500 bees. Three considerations to keep in mind before attempting to collect a swarm are 1) how long the swarm has been there, 2) where the swarm is located, and 3) its size.
Swarms normally cluster on a tree limb, shrub, fence post, or on the side of a building (Figure 18). When possible, remove the swarm gently, disturbing the cluster as little as possible, and put it directly into a hive or enclosed container (a cardboard box with a tight-fitting lid works well) to transport it to a new hive or location. If the swarm cannot be cut down, either shake or scrape the bees into a lightweight box (Figures 19 and 20). When a swarm settles in a very high tree or on any other inaccessible structure, it is best to leave it there. Such swarms may be an afterswarm with one or more virgin queen and their successful capture can be very difficult. Sometimes you can knock these high swarms into a bucket at the end of a long pole and then lower it to a collecting box. The success rate, however, is very low.
Once you have successfully captured a swarm, you can introduce the swarm into your own equipment by either shaking or dumping the bees into an open hive with several frames removed (Figure 21). If you were successful in getting the queen with the rest of the swarm, the bees will adopt the hive. Using drawn combs is better than foundation when introducing swarms to an empty hive, but one or two drawn combs, preferably with pollen, brood, and/or honey (from a disease-free colony), combined with foundation also works.
Instead of waiting for swarms to simply appear, you can try baiting swarms. Pheromone lures (available from beekeeping supply companies) placed in special light-weight bait hives or empty hive bodies (with or without drawn comb) can be used to lure swarms. Place trap boxes in exposed locations 8–15 feet off the ground (with entrance reduced to keep birds and squirrels out) and check weekly during the swarm season (April–June, depending on your location) so you can transfer any swarms into a standard hive in a timely fashion.
Taking Bees out of Trees and Building Walls
Honey bee colonies and their combs can be transferred from a tree or wall into a hive. Because of the amount of work involved and the difficulty of obtaining good combs, you should not consider this method a convenient or easy way of obtaining bees unless you have no other alternative. In many situations, the beekeeper is providing a service for home owners and should charge for it.
The best way of removing a colony from a wall is to remove the siding or other exterior coverings to completely expose the colony. Then cut out the combs and brush or vacuum the bees from the interior of the wall. If exposing the colony is impossible, you may try to trap the majority of the bees out of the tree or wall. The first step in trapping bees is to close up all flight holes except one. Place a cone of window screen about 6 inches long, with an opening 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch in diameter at the apex over the open flight hole. Near the flight hole place a weak hive consisting of two or three frames of brood and bees with a queen or queen cell. In principle, the bees from the colony in the wall can leave freely through the screen cone but cannot return to the old nest, so they will enter the new hive prepared for them. It will take about a month for the brood in the old combs to hatch. By this time, most of the bees will be in the new hive. Keep in mind that completely trapping all of the bees or the queen is impossible.
After most activity from the old hive has ceased, remove the screen cone and leave the new hive in position for a week or longer. If no honey flow is in progress, the bees from the strong hive will rob out the old combs in the wall or tree. After the robbing has ceased, seal off the entrance to the old nest so that future swarms cannot establish themselves in the same location.
Remove the hive on the platform in the evening when all the bees are inside. To avoid the possibility of the hive bees returning to their original location, move the hive at least 3 miles away.
Selecting the Right Type of Bee for Your Operation
New beekeepers face the sometimes difficult decision of which strain or race of bee to order, and from whom to order them, when obtaining packages and queens.
Honey bees in the United States are a heterogeneous blend of several races introduced from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Currently, there are three major races: Italians, Caucasians, and Carniolans. However, those now present in the United States are not the same as the original races they were named after. Many strains of the original races and a couple of hybrids have been developed through interbreeding and selection along with various geographic and climatic influences.
To determine which race or strain of bees would best suit your operation, first consider the advantages and disadvantages of each. Over time you may want to try queens and packages from different queen breeders and suppliers to learn more about the behavior and productivity of each strain under your local conditions.
Italian bees are the most popular race in the United States. First introduced in 1859, they basically replaced the original black or German bee brought over by early colonists. The Italian bee is light yellowish or brown with alternating stripes of brown and black on the abdomen. Those with three abdominal bands (workers) are sometimes called leather-colored Italians; those with five bands are sometimes called goldens or cordovan queens. Italian bees tend to start brood rearing early in the spring and continue until late fall, which results in a large population throughout the active season. Large colonies can collect a considerable amount of nectar in a relatively short period, but they also require more honey for maintenance during the fall/winter than do the dark races. Most strains of Italian bees are considered to be quiet and gentle on the combs. Disadvantages include weaker orientation compared to other races, which results in more bees drifting from one colony to another, and a strong inclination to robbing, which can aid in the spread of disease. The Italians are considered good housekeepers. Italians are comparatively resistant to European foulbrood (EFB)—the major reason why they replaced black bees. The lighter color of the Italian queen makes finding her in the hive easier compared to queens of the other two races. Italian bees produce brilliant white cappings, which are ideal for producing comb honey.
Caucasian bees are sometimes described as the gentlest of all honey bees. They are dark colored to black with grayish bands on the abdomen. They tend to construct burr comb and use large amounts of propolis to fasten combs and reduce the size of the entrance. Some of the newer strains, however, use less propolis. Because they propolize excessively, they are not considered suitable for producing comb honey. Caucasians are inclined to drifting and robbing but not excessive swarming. Colonies normally do not reach full strength before midsummer, and they conserve their honey stores somewhat better than the Italians do. They also forage at somewhat lower temperatures and under less favorable climatic conditions than do Italian bees and are reported to show some resistance to EFB. Caucasians are available but not common.
Carniolans are dark bees, similar to Caucasians in appearance, except they often have brown spots or bands on the abdomen. These bees overwinter as small clusters but increase rapidly in the spring after the first pollen becomes available. As a result, the major disadvantage is excessive swarming. Due to their small overwintering cluster size, they are very economical in their food consumption, even under unfavorable climatic conditions, and overwinter well. They are not inclined to robbing, have a good sense of orientation, and are quiet on the combs. They are available but not common. Some of the stock is listed as new world Carniolan and are considered the better Carniolan strain by some beekeepers.
Hybrid bees have been produced by crossing several lines or races of honey bees. Initially, planned crosses frequently resulted in a line of very prolific bees that exhibit what is called hybrid vigor. With controlled matings, this vigor can be maintained. Commercial hybrids (Midnite and Starline) are produced by crossing inbred lines that have been developed and maintained for specific characteristics such sgentleness, productivity, or wintering.
Buckfast bees are a hybrid selected over a long period of time from many strains of bees from southwestern England. They have been shown to be more resistant to tracheal mites and better suited to the cool climate of that region. The stock has been imported into this country (eggs, semen, and adult queens via Canada) and they are easily available here in the United States.
The destructive presence of parasitic mites and drug-resistant diseases has led researchers and queen breeders to search for mite- and disease-resistant bees. Some of these stocks can now be purchased as queens. Interest in stock selected for more northern regions has also increased in popularity. One selection is the Buckeye strain from Ohio. Another is the West Virginia selection. The State of West Virginia, in an effort to improve the plight of beekeepers by reducing tracheal mite losses, has arranged for a queen breeder in an isolated area of Canada to supply a U.S. queen breeder with breeder queens obtained from Buckfast Abbey in England. These bees have demonstrated excellent resistance to tracheal mites and display all the traits of truly superior bees under West Virginia conditions.
Other groups of stock such as Russian, SMR, or Hybrid (sometimes Minnesota hybrid) are bees selected for greater mite resistance and/or improved hygienic behavior (hive cleaning—specifically, dead/dying brood removal), a trait that results in bees ridding their colony more quickly of potential harmful pathogens. As with any stock, querying your potential supplier is best if you are uncertain about the claims made concerning the characteristics of the stock. Checking on the experience of other beekeepers that have used the stock is not a bad idea.
If you use hybrid bees or bees of a selected stock in your operation, be sure to requeen regularly. Allowing natural queen replacement usually leads to loss of hybrid vigor and sometimes causes colonies to be quite defensive and thus more difficult to manage.
