Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: BMBeeFarm on January 04, 2008, 07:47:04 am
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I am just curious how everyone else gets there bee packages home.
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I kept mine in the trunk of my car last year, but it was a cool, cloudy day. I wouldn't have done the same if it were sunny and warm.
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I put mine on the passenger seat of my car so I could listen to all the buzzing. Made me a little nervous though since it was my first one and I kept wondering what would happen if it came apart and my car would be full of angry bees. :-)
Sean Kelly
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Had a problem with the truck so I stuck them in the back seat of my car. Like sean I was a little nervous wondering what I would do if the thing came open :shock: It's all rural back roads where I pick mine up at so there is no place to pull over other than someones driveway.. when there is one.
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Kinda embarrasing, but I actually put a seatbelt on that package. lol
Sean Kelly
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My wife and I drove down to Rossmans (about 1 1/2 hrs. away) and picked up ours. We were in our SUV and my wife thought they would ride home on the top. When she saw all those buzzing bees I thought that me and the bees were going to ride home on the top. Fred Rossman did a good job of assuring her that they could not escape.
Steve
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i put them in the trunk of the car and stopped to see if it was overly hot in there a couple of times. it went well. it was an hour and a half drive. i got them at brushy mountain.
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Just make sure they are sealed up and secure, no matter where you put them. I put packages in my truck, as well as swarms I've captured and placed in cardboard boxes. Just make sure they are sealed!
Sincerely, JP
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My wife and I drove down to Rossmans (about 1 1/2 hrs. away) and picked up ours. We were in our SUV and my wife thought they would ride home on the top. When she saw all those buzzing bees I thought that me and the bees were going to ride home on the top. Fred Rossman did a good job of assuring her that they could not escape.
Steve
Oooh, Steve, now that made me go about to that squeaky laughing, hee, hee. (am I annoying people yet when I speak of that squeaky laugh?, hee, hee). Sometimes I like to think I am annoying people, hee, hee.
My package bees have always gone on the seat beside me in the truck or in the back seat of my car.
Sean, about the seatbelt and the package bees. Great and wonderful idea!!!!! Reminds me of when I took my Sister's hamsters back to the pet store. They were in a cage and she made me put the seatbelt around the cage, I thought she was crackers. But then half way there, I looked back to them and the cage had shifted slightly. That would have been a bummer if it had fallen over and they escaped into my car. Thank goodness for seat belts. Have a wonderful, great day. Cindi
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I just placed mine under the tool box in the back of the truck. I had my oldest grandaughter along as navigator (reading the directions on how to get there) so there wasn't room in the cab as the back seat was already full of things from the feed store. I think the fresh air kept them cool.
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I had mine right next to me in the passenger seat and I talked to them on the ride home about their new home and how happy they would be. They were pretty quiet the whole ride home until I sprayed them with sugar water. I was so excited that day. Love the seat belt idea.
Annette
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had someone sit on the box in the pick-up bed after i had done a cut-out.
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Yep, Right next to me in the front seat.
Annette, My experience was kind of like yours!
I was soooo happy!! I listened to them hum and i had a lump in my throat!! I talked to them too!! I was on the edge of considering this moment a miracle!!
I can really get "Sappy" sometimes///Like in Lassie movies!
your friend,
john
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In the back of my van.
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I had mine right next to me in the passenger seat and I talked to them on the ride home about their new home and how happy they would be. They were pretty quiet the whole ride home until I sprayed them with sugar water. I was so excited that day. Love the seat belt idea.
Annette
Annette, there is something about the way you described your trip with your bees that is insanely hysterical to me. "I had them right next to me the ride home, I talked to them, about how happy they would be, they were pretty quiet, until... I sprayed them with sugar water!" Bahhahhhahhahhahhaha, my sides are hurting, think I cracked a rib. I was imagening your bees sitting there next to you like a person, and then you sprayed them in the face with sugar water. Well, maybe its just me.
Cracked rib and all, JP
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I never had packages but I've done cutouts and carried the whole hive in my Durango.
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Well when I go and get mine in April they will be in the back of my highlander for a 5 hr drive.
Angi
Yes I will take a bottle of sugar water for them.
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Angi_H
If you get package bees they should already have a feed can in place
(http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/3690/img2249av6.th.jpg) (http://img231.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img2249av6.jpg)
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i brought a spray bottle with sugar water for them when i picked up my packages. i sprayed the screen. they went for it.
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Yes, there should be a feeder can inside the package. Spray the screen with syrup before you install them in their new home to calm them down a little. Dont spray too much or they'll poop all over you and your pretty new painted hive. My vale and helmet still have stains on them when I over sprayed and installed. :-D They've been cooped up in their package for a long while and "cleanse" themselves when they start flying around when you dump them in the hive.
Check out the main Beemaster page, John has a different way of dumping the bees out of the package by removing the screen instead of dumping them out the little feeder can hole. Looks pretty slick and I'm gunna try it this season.
Sean Kelly
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Hey Ken, isn't the kid supposed to be wearing the protection? He must be the brave one here, 'eh? lol
Sincerely, JP
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he installed a couple packages before.They are generally calm installing into hive from packages as long as their sugar can is not empty.They were also misted with sugar solution prior to installing.
Taht,and he had a friend to watch that was a little nervous so Just let him wear the suit to watch.
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Not mentioned yet, but packages of bees must be kept out of direct sunlight.
Sound goofy because bees are in sunlight all day long as a foragers when in a hive, but in a package the dynamics change entirely. When in a package, the dark bulk of bees attract a lot of solar gain (its what keeps them warm and their metabolism quick when they are flying solo). It makes them easy to over heat in cramp quarters like a mailing container.
Another aspect is humidity.
Bee movement consume a lot of energy, and a by-product of that activity is water moisture.
Bees breathe through their body wall through tiny holes.
If these holes are blocked by moisture, its essentially drowning.
If you spray your bees with water or syrup, or if they must be put in a confined area, be sure there is enough air circulation to remove excess moisture.
I'd also omit spraying the bees if the weather is the least be cold (in transit or at installation (if its cold enough don't worry, the bees won't fly much anyhow)).
My sadist losses have been from cut-outs that took too long and too many bees in too small a box have become too wet from respiration and have cooked and drowned. These were unavoidable situations where once started had to be completed for the sake of human safety. Those tragic events now govern how many and how long I box any bees to assure that I act humane. It also makes one plan to minimize what could be the worse case scenario for each bee removal.
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on the floor behind my seat in the car. when i pick up my packages, they have 100's of of them in the warehouse. i had a couple of stragglers on my boxes, but they stayed on the packages and i didn't even know they were there until i got home. found them before i put my bare hands on them!! :-)
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I had the temperature perfect for them, no sun on them and only sprayed them once after a 1 hr drive.
Every detail thought of for the little girls.
My installation was a nightmare though. That's another story.
annette
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I guess they are transferred to the distributor in an enclosed trailer....and the driver couldn't care less about them and most if not all if them make it. so maybe the concern about how to transport them is unfounded.
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My sadist losses have been from cut-outs that took too long and too many bees in too small a box have become too wet from respiration and have cooked and drowned. These were unavoidable situations where once started had to be completed for the sake of human safety. Those tragic events now govern how many and how long I box any bees to assure that I act humane. It also makes one plan to minimize what could be the worse case scenario for each bee removal.
I have made special hive components for doing cut outs. I place them into a hive body tying any brood comb into frames. This hive body sits on a screened bottom board that allows circulation under it. Then there is a top cover that is screened yet protects from sun and/or rain if needed. When I get them home I can open the bottom board in order to work as normal or I can just sit the hive onto another bottom so I have this one for another removal. Then I can just trade the top for what I normally use. All the trading could be done on the next inspection of the hive. This way I don't have to disturb/stress them by dumping them into another box after ripping them from their home.
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Back of the van. Kids keep watch on those that find a hole and try to tempt them to their finger. All they want is to get out of the van or try to get back in the package.
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Keep them cool...we keep the A/C on max in the back of our small SUV.
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oThe only reasion I said I would have a spray bottle of sugar water was because they consider it a local pick up si they said they might or might not have a sugar can in them. But I have over a 5 hr drive with them in April. I sure wish I could get them earlier though. This sucks.
ANgi
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Oh Angi, just wait, April is just around the corner. I know it is a long time to wait. But that is when the weather is really bee friendly. You have much earlier warm weather than we do, no doubt about that. But just think. By the time April comes around, and you have received so much information here from your forum friends, that you will be able to keep you bees even better. You will have so much information that you have gleaned here. It will make your keeping bees so much easier and better. Just keep listening and learning.
By the way, I have been neglectful about getting your propolis ready. But I have the honey room downstairs with my frames for crushing and straining in to get ready for the crush and strain. I will be gathering the sticky propolis off them this week and by after the weekend I will be able to send you a big glob through the mail. Be patient, I have not forgotten about you, just been rather lazy, being caught up in so much stuff with all the kids and the holiday vacation. They have been off school now for over 2 weeks and are all going back today, yea!!!!! Happiness to get my routines back in order. I am a routine-oriented person and so many of these young darlings needing so much attention, it has been busy than blazes. Have a wonderful, great day, your bees will come and then you will be in a little bit of heaven that you have only dreamed about ;) :) :) :) Cindi
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I brought home nucs and I had about a 3 hour drive. I put them in my trunk, which was advised against. I had picked up the nucs from a beek club meeting, and all the seasoned beeks said I had nothing to worry about, that the bees in the nuc were all nurse bees; also it was not a big enough 'colony' for them to be aggressive. I stopped at rest area about half way home, to open the trunk and make sure they weren't baking. They did fine; I wasn't even stung installing them.
Next time, they are going in the car with me.
Gail
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>i had a couple of stragglers on my boxes
I've never had less than dozens of stragglers on each box...