New to the "Beekeeping for Everyone!" series?
Consider starting with Post #1, search #beekeepingforeveryone, or scroll to the bottom of this post for the complete list.
Package Bees - Understanding What You'll Get
Package bees are by far the easiest and most often way new beekeepers obtain bees. However, very few new beekeepers understand exactly what they are getting. The general perception of a new beekeeper is that they are getting a colony of bees that are all related. When in reality they are getting a box of bees most likely from multiple hives that are unrelated. The process of making packages consist of shaking bees from many hives into a big screened holding box. Then they pour the bees out of the holding box into a smaller shipping box that is no a scale. When the shipping box reached the desired weight (usually 3lbs) it is swapped for an empty one and the process continues until all the needed packages are filled.
What about the Queen?
Once the packages are filled with worker bees, a newly mated queen in a cage is added to the package along with a can of sugar syrup and they are ready to ship. Another thing most people fail to realize is no matter what race of honeybees you order, most likely you will receive 3lbs of Italian bees and a queen of the different race you ordered. Why Italians? Because Italians are brood rearing machines regardless of the environmental conditions that would cause other races to cut back on brood rearing. So not only is the queen unrelated to the unrelated worker bees, but she might not even be the same race. Since the queen is mated, hopefully with the same race, her offspring will be her race and over time the hive will become the race of honeybee you ordered. This can take a month or more to accomplish.
Why you should not expect honey the first year
When you start with a package of bees, you have no brood. If we go back to the post on worker bees, we know that it takes 21 days from egg laying to bee hatching. Since most new beekeepers don't have drawn comb for their new bees, the bees need to draw comb before the queen can even start laying. Unlike bees that are swarming and have prepared their wax glands to start flowing by gorging themselves on honey before leaving, package bees had no intentions of leaving their hive and have no prepared their wax glands.
Best case is the queen can start laying minimal amount of eggs within a day or two, but you are looking close to a month before bees start hatching. During this month, the colony is actually in decline as worker die off. Since a lot of package bee producers keep their queen confined to the bottom brood chamber with a queen excluder and shake packages from the upper boxes chances are you will be getting older bees. If you remember back to the worker bee post, the younger bees tend to the brood which will be in the bottom brood chamber with the queen.
Since your colony will be using all the resources they can gather to build comb and raise brood, and the fact they will be declining in population for the first month followed by a month to rebuild you should not expect any surplus honey.
Consider a nuc if possible
If you have the option of purchasing a local nuc, I would highly advise considering it. Not only are you getting locally acclimatized bees that have the synergy of being related, but you are also getting a colony that has brood and is growing from day one.
Beekeeping for Everyone! Series
Follow me (@bushkill) so you don't miss the next post in the Beekeeping for Everyone! series
Check out all the posts in the Beekeeping for Everyone! series
#1 - Introduction
#2 - The Importance of Pollinators
#3 - Honeybee Castes
#4 - Honeybee Queen - part 1
#5 - Honeybee Queen - part 2
#6 - Honeybee Worker
#7 - Honeybee Drone
#8 - There is Nothing Natural About Beekeeping!
#9 - Honeybee Nucs - Buyer Beware
Keep On Keeping!
@bushkill
This was a very informative post. My good friend keeps bees and while I find it fascinating, it is probably something I would never try myself. I enjoy reading about it though and I will definitely be following you. Thanks again for the great post! -@bozz
It is amazing how many people are fascinated by these incredible little creatures even if they have no desire or means to keep them. That is why I started this "Beekeeping for Everyone" series. I hope you enjoy it.
What an amazing insight @bushkill! I feel so sad for the transition bees. They're the ones that have to suffer.
Ya, it is another stress that man induces on them and overlooks as we convince ourselves the are helping them. A quote from another beekeeper that always resonates for me, "Bees continue to survive despite our help"
Very nice
Bees are great we had three hives on our small permaculture farm going into the winter. Hope they make it, its been a long cold winter here in Canada for us.
Will follow and upvote thanks
This seems to be the toughest time of the year for beekeepers as they wait to find out if their hives will survive the winter. Here is hoping your hives make it......
Thanks
Great information thank you. I'm going to have to check out the other posts.
What an amazing series. I find this all so fascinating. Thank you so much for sharing. I've resteemed this post and hopefully more people will get to have a read. cheers mate Skunk Ape
The difference is like several friends packing their bags to go start a new life together on an island. Versus a bunch of strangers crash landing on a island. It takes time for a package to build up. If you can afford it and want some honey the first year, a nuc is the way to go.
Another analogy I like to use is going to a homeless shelter and randomly picking 6 people, putting them in a house and expecting them to be family.
like always some great post, im still lurning every time, greeting
It's the contagious support I get from the folks on the Whaleshares community that keeps me motivated to post. Don't want to let you down.
@bushkill keep up the great work your doing a good job, greetings
Awesome, a penguins fan to boot :-)
This is great information! Had no idea you wouldn't get honey the first year. You are one brave man!!
Depending on how good a year it is you might, but it takes a lot of resource for the bees to build all the comb they need plus collect nectar and pollen for all the bees they need to raise.
Man, bees are really amazing. And, I do love my local raw honey!!
What a relief to see stories of healthy bees. In St Louis we hear that Bees in Illinois and Missouri area are threatened by the Monsanto. Just fun and interesting as well.
Bees and all living things are being threatened by our whole agriculture system, not just chemicals.
Such a nice way to make cool money
Nice and best business for Nepali as we are rich in agricultural diversity which can promote bee keeping
Nice, Apiculture is lucrative and honey the product is sweet and medicinal.
This post has received a 6.68 % upvote from @boomerang thanks to: @bushkill
Very informative about bees. I'm kinda confused witht the Italian.