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 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::