Jason Buchanan said:

> My new packages will be arriving in about a week to 2 weeks.
> Does anyone have any suggestions for hiving the new
> packages despite being 35 degrees and cloudy...

Not to worry.

A quick look at both the 10-day forecast and the
averages for Boston tell me that you have nothing
to fear.


Boston MA 10-Day Forecast
http://www.weather.com/weather/svrtenday/USMA0046

(The 10-day forecast is good enough these days to bet
serious money that the temps will be with a degree or
two of what is forecast.)

Date        Conditions      High/Low (F) Percip Chance
----------  -------------  ------------ -------------
Mon Apr 07  Snow (4-8")    35/30        70 %
Tue Apr 08  AM Light Snow  34/30        60 %
Wed Apr 09  Cloudy         38/31        20 %
Thu Apr 10  Cloudy         47/37        20 %
Fri Apr 11  Showers        42/39        30 %
Sat Apr 12  Few Showers    45/37        30 %
Sun Apr 13  Partly Cloudy  43/38        20 %
Mon Apr 14  Few Showers    52/43        30 %
Tue Apr 15  Mostly Cloudy  56/43        10 %
Wed Apr 16  Cloudy         56/43        20 %

Averages (What I use to plan) For Boston, MA
http://www.weather.com/weather/climatology/daily/USMA0046

Apr  Avg  Avg    Forecast Lo
Day  Hi   Lo     is "off"
                 average Lo by
---  ---- ----   -------------
7    53 F 38 F   -8 degrees F
8    53 F 38 F   -8
9    54 F 38 F   -7
10   54 F 39 F   -2
11   54 F 39 F    0
12   55 F 39 F   -2
13   55 F 40 F   -2
14   56 F 40 F   +3
15   56 F 40 F   +3
16   56 F 41 F   +2
17   57 F 41 F
18   57 F 41 F
19   57 F 42 F
20   58 F 42 F
21   58 F 42 F
22   58 F 43 F
23   59 F 43 F
24   59 F 43 F
25   59 F 43 F
26   60 F 44 F
27   60 F 44 F
28   60 F 44 F
29   61 F 45 F
30   61 F 45 F

So, while this week looks discouraging, ignore the
snow, and make sure all the gear is ready. In a week
(April 14th), the averages for Boston look fine for
installing packages.  At 56 degrees, bees may fly,
and with nighttime lows in the 40s, even small
clusters do not risk death.  As someone else said,
entrance reducers are a very good idea.

If it is a bit chilly, you can shake the bees into a hive
and expect them to stay put for a bit, so don't freak out
if you look at the entrance the next day and see nothing
but a few dead bees on the landing board.  (If you peek
into the entrance, you should see at least one bee "standing
guard" the day after installing the package.  No guarantees
on the first day - its complete chaos in many cases.)

When weather looks really bad, one can call one's
package or queen supplier and request a shipment delay.
These folks bend over backwards for us, and may decide
on their own to delay shipments to unusually cold areas.
They look at the weather too.  Every day.

                jim

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