Package Bees for Sale

Looking for package bees for sale: There are several possible good sources. The most reliable seem to be local bee keepers or the large online bee supply companies.

Package bees for sale usually include a queen and 3 lbs of bees. This is enough to get a hive started.

To find a supplier near you go to: http://www.beesource.com/suppliers/usbees.htm for a supplier near you.

No worries! They make sure the honey bees have an ample supply of sugar water and they come in a screened box for ventilation. The mailman may be the most alarmed of all, but it is all good. The queen comes in a separate little box inside the bigger box.

What to do after you receive your "package bees for sale".

• Take the queen cage out and set it aside.
• Open the top of your hive. Holding the can over your hive, pull the can out of your bee package. You now have a big hole and bees are starting to climb out of it.
• Turn the package upside-down and shake once or twice over your hive. Big clumps of bees will fall out into the hive.
• Then hang the queen cage between two frames in your hive and let everyone get settled in.

In a very short time the bees will work their way down into the frames. When they have moved down into the hive you can place the inner cover and the top cover on the hive and let them get to work.

Important tips for the beginner bee keeper buying package bees for sale:

• Find a bee keeper near you with experience and ask them questions. Join an association of bee keepers. Bee keepers are never short on good advice. Try the county extension agent if you don't know were else to go.
• To help the bees get through the early spring be prepared to feed them sugar water either through a top feeder or a front feeder. This will help them flourish until the flowers really start to bloom.
• When installing a package of new bees, be sure to feed them as they won't have any honey stored up and will starve without your help.
• Make sure your bees have access to fresh water. If your bees don't have access to fresh water, they'll find it somewhere. This may be your neighbor's swimming pool, your dog's water bowl, or some other place you didn't intend.
  
• Keep some Benadryl handy. If you do get stung, it can help reduce any reaction you might have.
• Don't try to work with your bees on a cloudy, windy, or rainy day unless you absolutely have to. They get grumpy when the weather is bad and you are much more likely to get stung.
• Use entrance reducers over the winter to prevent mice and other critters from getting into the hive while the bees are less active.
• If you are allergic to bees, think seriously before deciding to keep them. If you understand the risks but want to keep bees anyway, be sure to keep an epi-pen handy in case you do get stung.

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