How to Transfer the Bees and What's in The Hive

Transferring bees may seem like a dangerous activity. However, thousands of beekeepers and amateurs successfully move hives from one place to another without being stung. You need the right resources, equipment and skills to carefully transfer the insects and start your own beehive. Understand the different behavior of bees and determine when the time is right to move them. Here are some more tips on how to stay safe all throughout.

The Right Equipment

Before you begin moving the bees, make sure you have all the right equipment ready. You should wear the protective suit, complete with a bee veil to keep them away and keep yourself from getting stung. Gather all the materials such as the smoker, the container where you will place the bees, a separate small container for the queen, gloves and honey extractors. You can find a lot of these in beekeeping stores and retail outlets. You may borrow or use second hand equipment. Just make sure that all the gear is still working correctly and there are no holes or damage to the suit.

The Process

Look for the ideal location where you will put the new hive for the bees. You have to ensure that the climate and temperature is right for the kind of bees you are keeping. Prepare other materials that will keep the bees safe after transferring. Have the smoker ready and wear the protective gear. The queen bee is placed in a different small container. You can just hang the container where the queen bee is located and create a small hole on the cork. The worker bees usually do the extra work to free the queen. Once the queen bee is in the hive, puff some smoke using the smoker and tame the bees inside the package. Drop the rest into the corresponding hives.

Getting Packaged Bees

It is always a good idea to begin with packaged bees. You avoid the risk of getting aggressive bees, get the types that produce better and acquire bees that are free from mites and other disease. To begin, look for recognized honeybee colonies from a reputable beekeeper. You should buy about 2 colonies, so that if one colony gets weaker, you can easily swap frames of honey and brood. One colony has about 20,000 to 60,000 honeybees, 1 producing queen, 10 to 12 combs, food materials and brood.

You can purchase a nucleus having 5 to 7 frames, workers, drones, stores and 1 fertile queen. Most will suggest that you purchase locally, but there are other sources online. Make sure that you have some knowledge about the right climate and temperature when the bees arrive.

When the Bees Arrive

Schedule the transfer about 6 weeks before the nectar flow. You should immediately put the colonies in a dark room with cool temperature if the weather is hot when they arrive. Apply some sugar syrup for them to feed on. Continue feeding until the bees are full to keep them from getting aggressive. Just let the workers naturally release the queen when the time is right.

Installing the Bees

Keep the packages cool and shaded when the bee package arrives. Set up the bottom board with a hive body then take out the frames. Make sugar syrup and spray the bees through the screen generously. Bees will engorge with the syrup and become sticky so they will be easier to pour. Pry the package lid off then take out the can of syrup given for transit. Find the queen then remove her suspended in the cage and close the package again.

Moving the Queen

The queen cage includes holes at the two ends stuffed with cork. One end is visibly filled with white food. Take out the cork from the end and hang the cage between a couple of middle frames in the hive. Workers will eat through the candy and slowly release the queen over time. Take the lid off then shake the bees into the hive over the queen. When the bees spread all over the hive, return the frames taken out earlier. Place the inner and outer covers then feed more sugar syrup until the nectar flow starts. Check the colony and see if the queen has been released.