>Hello,
>
>I built a hive and bought a swarm (3-4 lbs) from a local beekeeper.  I had
>some questions, and hoped someone here might help.
>
>1. Is the appropriate time to install a swarm in a hive approx. 1-1 1/2
>hours before dark?


Actual swarms (taken off trees, bushes, buildings, etc.) can and should be
hived right away.  However, I have personally found that a swarm that has
been "boxed" as you indicate, or package bees that arrive in the mail seem
to do best when you wait until about the time you indicate.  They fly around
less and the night "quickly" spent in the hive helps them on their way
making it home.  If your package of bees arrive early in the day (normal as
the post office wants them picked up A.S.A.P.), give them a misting with
sugar water and place them in a cool, dark area until you're ready.

>2. What am I supposed to do to make the bees stop crawling out and down the
>sides before I have the inner and outer lid on?  I used the bee brush and
>put a little pressure to make them move up and into the hive (no
>squishing).  They complained a little but went inside.


Due to the fact that they had already set up their home in the box the other
beekeeper gave you, this new home "wasn't theirs" yet.  If they are outside
the hive, and the queen is inside, they won't leave.  Read my answer to
question #5 for help with this.  As long as you have the entrance open they
will all make their way inside eventually.

>3. After the initial install (shake) of the box to drop the ball of bees
>into the hive, the insides of the box were still covered with thousands of
>bees.  I waited until they made little clusters in the box, shook it again,
>waited, shook, waited, shook, etc.  Is this the right way to get all the
>bees out of the box?  It took a long time.

Sometimes you have to give a pretty strong "rap" on the sides of the box or
package to get the bees out, but since you mentioned you had comb already
built in the box you were shaking them out of it sounds as if you did the
right thing.

>4. Does it matter if there were two little clusters of bees left on the
>outside over night (providing of course, the queen was inside the hive)?
>Will they go inside later?

It's O.K. to leave the old box outside the new hive (once you've removed the
comb they've started building) as the bees will usually find their way into
the new hive.  Just make sure they have shelter over their heads to keep any
rain off and they'll make it through the night O.K. (assuming no
early-spring frosts).

>5. There were six combs inside the cardboard box, the largest being 5
>inches long.  Is there a way to estimate how long the swarm was in the box
>based on the comb size?


Wow, sounds like at least a week to 10 days (based on 3-4 pounds of bees) to
me.  I'm sure more experienced beekeepers would know more than me on this
question.  A depends of course on whether the bees were being fed sugar
syrup while in the cardboard box, or if a spring honey flow was in progress.

>6. When I shook the bees into the super (minus three frames) the comb fell
>from the box into the hive, which I retrieved with a kitchen utensil.
>Should I have taken the loose comb out of the hive?  I thought I should not
>replace the three frames as long as the comb was in the bottom as I did not
>want to squish any bees by forcing the frames.


The comb in the cardboard box probably had eggs and larva in them (this
could be another indication as to how long the bees were in the box...
eggs=3 days or less, larva=10 days or less, etc.).  What I have done in the
past is to cut the comb loose, brush the bees off it and wrap it loosely in
a towel.  Once you have the bees in the hive, take the comb indoors and grab
an empty frame of foundation (you might use those three you didn't place in
the hive yet).  At the top of the frame cut out foundation to make holes the
size and shape of the comb you have collected (trimming the comb if needed
to get them all to fit).  Fit them into the foundation cut-outs and using
cotton twine tie the comb in place by wrapping the twine around the frame
and tying it off.  You may need to use a couple wraps vertically and
horizontally to hold them in place.  In a few days the bees will have
secured the comb into the foundation and disposed of the twine outside the
hive.  I've heard of other beekeepers using rubber bands for this but I've
always wondered how many bee-lives were lost when the rubber band snaps
after being cut through by the bees!

>7. How am I supposed to know if there is comb in the box, and is there a
>trick to keep it from falling into the hive when installing the swarm?


As mentioned in #1, swarms are usually hived into their new home the moment
of collecting, or at least within a day or two.  This keeps the bees from
building their home in a make-shift shelter like they did on you.  I'm
rather surprised that a "veteran" beekeeper would start a new beekeeper out
with a swarm that has been cardboard-boxed for so long (and then not help
you hive it).

>8. Feeding on the inside cover, inside an empty super.  The sugar bottle
>does not cover the entire hole in the inner cover.  What's to stop the bees
>from crawling up into the empty super and making comb there?

Use duct tape to close off the hole, though will frames of foundation to
make and fill with brood and honey I would say you won't have to worry about
it right now.  Also, if you're using a jar that small I would suggest
getting a gallon jar the size institutional foods come in (ketchup, etc.).
You might want to visit a restaurant to see if they have any of these empty
they're about to throw out.  Feeder pails with screened holes in the cover
can also be bought from bee supply outlets (Brushy Mountain for example).
These work much better than small jars... besides covering the hole
completely they hold more so you don't have to refill so often.

>What's to stop the sugar water from wicking where the bottle touches the
>inner cover? If it does wick, will the bees clean it up or do I have to
take action?

The bees will usually clean it up since you have a good amount of them.  If
it becomes a problem you can always use a little more of that fantastic
substance, duct tape, to close the holes that would rest on the inner cover.

>9. How long should I expect a hive of bees to take to empty a 1-quart jar
>of sugar water?


One quart, feeding 3-4 pounds of bees drawing out new foundation?  I would
check at least every other day... maybe even every day!  Don't go into the
brood box... leave them alone for a little while to do their work.  Have two
jars or feeder pails on hand so you can bring the full one with you to the
hive and replace the empty one right there.  Otherwise, you'll find your
empty super placed over the inner cover full of bees looking for the syrup.

>10. Will the bees glue together the seams between the supers and inner
>cover?  If so, is it hard to break free with the hive tool?


YES, between the supers and the inner cover, NO between the super being used
to cover the feeder pail/jar and the outer cover (there won't be any bees in
that box once you have the hole in the inner cover blocked with the feeder).
Hive tools are ment for this very task.  Hives left alone for very long
periods of time can be a bear to crack, but with a new hive the bees won't
have had a chance to do too much.  A lot depends on the strain of bee, too,
as some use propolis more than others.

>Any information is appreciated.  If anyone has specific advice, it's very
>welcome.  I don't have a local mentor yet.  Thank you.

>
>Linda Hagedorn
>Novice beekeeper


Good luck Linda, and welcome to the world of beekeeping!  There are many
others here that are MUCH more knowledgable than I, but I hope that I've
been able to answer your questions.

--David Scribner
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<www.bigfoot.com/~dscribner>