CFK Queen Installation

Tips and Facts for Starting new hives
* If you're starting a new hive, keep in mind that bees need a lot of energy to get started, the equivalent of approximately 3 pounds of honey in energy, to draw out the wax on a single new frame of foundation (and make a place for the queen to begin laying). Always keep your bees well-fed, with sugar syrup or honey in constant supply until the hive has built up, even if there appears to be enough forage outside the hive. A frame of drawn comb or honey from a healthy existing hive, added to a new hive, can help boost the buildup process. Well-fed bees are more likely to be healthy and pest-resistant in the long run. If you're starting a hive during a very cold season, take care to shelter the hive until the weather has warmed. Bees can starve to death if they are too cold to move to their food source, even if it's nearby. A new package of bees cannot regulate temperature as easily as a fully developed hive, which is why you should give it extra care. Consideration should be given also to the placement of the queen cage when installing a new queen during cold weather--it should be placed farther down inside the hive so that the workers can keep her warm. Be mindful of the environment around your hive. Bees are extremely sensitive to toxins in the environment, including pesticides, household chemicals, and sprays. The wax in a hive is very absorbent, so even nearby poisons (such as a chemical pest strip) can end up in the hive. Once your new package is installed, and the queen is laying, remember that new brood will not hatch until 21 days after the eggs are laid. This is the time it takes for worker bees to develop into mature bees and hatch. The newly hatched bees usually remain in the hive and tend the queen and brood, and are less likely to go out and forage (this task falls to the older worker bees). Many beekeepers requeen their hives every year. However, a productive, laying queen can last much longer (in rare cases 3 or 4 years), so it's not necessary for you to requeen on this schedule unless you choose to. Check with other local beekeepers for tips on beekeeping in your area. Local clubs are a great way to exchange information & learn. This can include finding the best honeybee pest treatment schedules for your area and climate, and information about pollination and honey flow for your area. The best way to learn beekeeping is through hands-on practice! Experienced beekeepers know trial and error is normal. You can supplement your experiences and discussion with others by purchasing a good book or two on beekeeping.

Tips and Facts for Starting new hives

* If you're starting a new hive, keep in mind that bees need a lot of energy to get started, the equivalent of approximately 3 pounds of honey in energy, to draw out the wax on a single new frame of foundation (and make a place for the queen to begin laying). Always keep your bees well-fed, with sugar syrup or honey in constant supply until the hive has built up, even if there appears to be enough forage outside the hive. A frame of drawn comb or honey from a healthy existing hive, added to a new hive, can help boost the buildup process. Well-fed bees are more likely to be healthy and pest-resistant in the long run.

*If you're starting a hive during a very cold season, take care to shelter the hive until the weather has warmed. Bees can starve to death if they are too cold to move to their food source, even if it's nearby. A new package of bees cannot regulate temperature as easily as a fully developed hive, which is why you should give it extra care. Consideration should be given also to the placement of the queen cage when installing a new queen during cold weather--it should be placed farther down inside the hive so that the workers can keep her warm.

* Be mindful of the environment around your hive. Bees are extremely sensitive to toxins in the environment, including pesticides, household chemicals, and sprays. The wax in a hive is very absorbent, so even *nearby* poisons (such as a chemical pest strip) can end up in the hive.

*Once your new package is installed, and the queen is laying, remember that new brood will not hatch until 21 days after the eggs are laid. This is the time it takes for worker bees to develop into mature bees and hatch. The newly hatched bees usually remain in the hive and tend the queen and brood, and are less likely to go out and forage (this task falls to the older worker bees).

*Many beekeepers requeen their hives every year. However, a productive, laying queen can last much longer (in rare cases 3 or 4 years), so it's not necessary for you to requeen on this schedule unless you choose to.

*Check with other local beekeepers for tips on beekeeping in your area. Local clubs are a great way to exchange information & learn. This can include finding the best honeybee pest treatment schedules for your area and climate, and information about pollination and honey flow for your area.

*The best way to learn beekeeping is through hands-on practice! Experienced beekeepers know trial and error is normal. You can supplement your experiences and discussion with others by purchasing a good book or two on beekeeping.