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Subject:
From:
Joel Govostes <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Discussion of Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 20 Nov 1996 15:15:01 -0500
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I have only stocked them by hiving actual swarms, but others have used
package-bees.  Swarms are hard to come by, so other methods would be
useful.  You could even start with three or four frames of brood and bees,
from a strong colony, set in on the end close to the entrance.  This
presumes that the hive will accomodate standard frames.  The remainder of
the space would be covered with regular tbh bars.  Then you'd cover the
spaces between the frames somehow, with a "quilt" or similar covering.
 
Another possibility would to make a big funnel, such as the package bee
producers use.  Shake several frames'-worth of bees into a box or cage
(about equivalent to a 3-lb package).  They don't have to all be from the
same hive.  This is a good deterrent to swarming in the "source" hives.
Seal up the cage, and set the bees in a cool dark place for a day or so.
Then hive them in the tbhive like a package, furnishing a caged queen, as
usual.  The bees will need sugar syrup, so you should feed them heavily
until they have a large thriving nest established.  You can get information
on feeding methods from Mr. Satterfield. (He has installed pacakages and
developed methods of feeding in such hives.)
 
I have had best results with a starter-strip of brood foundation on each
bar, about 1" top to bottom.  Then the bees have almost no choice but to
stick to those guide-strips.  The other comb-guide methods may work just as
well.  The swarm or package bees will cluster immediately from the top bars
and draw the first few combs over the first week or so, fastest if they are
provided with sugar syrup.  Basically it's the same as is advised for
hiving in a frame hive.

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