Beekeeping Made Easy 

                               Bees -- Package Bees

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  Package bee instructions

Package Bees are available in the spring.   They are sold by a number of beekeeping firms located mostly in the South and  Southwest.  The queen and package bee business is highly specialized.  Should you want to buy packages we have included some links to web pages or e-mail addresses for them.   They can be shipped and delivered to you in fairly good condition if the weather and shipping conditions are properly looked after.  It is difficult for the package producer because when the bees leave their facility, the bees are in good shape.  If transported by the U.S. postal service, the producer  has no control over the conditions the package will encounter on the trip.  If you can pick up package bees from someone who sells bees locally, you will most likely get bees that were placed in the packages just a day or two before you pick up the package. If the bees are in transit for three or four days, you will find a number of dead bees in the bottom of the package.  And if they get hot -- for just several minutes-- by hot I mean placed in direct sunlight with no ventilation or day time temperatures are in the 90's and the bees are not provided with shade or ventilation you will have many dead bees. 

• The beekeepers  that sells bees must have strong hives.  They must have productive queens.
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• This is a picture taken in Georgia of a beekeeper removing the top covers from all the hives in the bee yard.  This is a trick to get the bees into the upper hive body.  He uses a queen excluder to keep the queen in the bottom brood chamber.  He will remove bees only from the upper hive body.

• This is a picture of a bee yard of cell builders.  These are hives used to produce the queen cells which will be used by the queen producer to make queens for your packages.
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• Every package of bees that you buy will or should have a queen in a cage which must be released by you when you install the bees into your hive.

• Shaking bees into your package.
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• The bees are shook from a frame into a funnel.  The bees drop down the funnel into the cage.

• The final product.
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• Advantages:

• Bees will be free of disease if provided with inspection certificate from the state of origin.
• You can get any kind of queen you would like by ordering a package with that kind of queen.
• Packages are sold as 2 pound or 3 pound packages.  Sometimes a 4 pound package can be ordered.

• Disadvantage:   It takes time for a package of bees to develop into a honey gathering unit.  

Package dealers

www.kelleybees.com          Kentucky

waldobees@aol.com           Ohio

Lappsbeesupply@powerweb.com   Wisconsin