# Early spring build up



## Moon (May 7, 2011)

I'm planning on ordering about 32 packages this spring and I'm wanting to know a couple things.

First off, what can I do to get my packages to build up rapidly in the spring aside from feeding? Last year I didn't even get supers put on because the little buggers had a hard time drawing out both deeps of foundation. This year I plan on coating all of the foundation with an extra added layer of beeswax I harvested from my hives this year to give them some building material but is there anything else I can do to help them have the foundation fully drawn by end of May, or is this simply a pipe dream?

My second question (and the reason why I posted in this forum). Can I rear queens off of these packages and split them into nucs by the time fall comes around. Would it be feasible to take those 32 packages and turn them into 64 nucs by the end of September and have them successfully overwinter? Obviously I'll need to feed, but aside from that will the bees themselves be able to do this and produce quality nucs going into winter that will in turn start out as strong colonies going into the spring of 13?

All replies appreciated.


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## mythomane (Feb 18, 2009)

Success or failure is going to depend mostly on how good your locations are. If they had trouble pulling the foundation out last year, what makes you think they will work faster this year? 64 nucs in the fall is far from a pipe dream, but you have long winters up there, too. Splitting without having ready drawn frames can be an uphill game. Advice here: Find the best locations you can -- Lots of flowers. Maybe plan on waiting till next year to split unless they really do well. Keeping strong hives solves problems you have not even thought about. There are some that like to split in the fall and overwinter, but all the guys I know doing it successfully are very experienced beekeepers. There will be those that yell Go For It! No Problem! But they are your bees and they cost money. A weak hive is much more of a gamble, especially in colder climes. Maybe make just a few splits in the fall if you can and get your feet wet. See how they do before you go all in.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Moon said:


> First off, what can I do to get my packages to build up rapidly in the spring aside from feeding?


Add a frame of emerging brood from another colony.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

Put them on comb that's already filled with syrup.


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## Moon (May 7, 2011)

I've seen this said before, doesn't the syrup all run out? I use high fructose corn syrup with EO's mixed in for feed.


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## franktrujillo (Jan 22, 2009)

with packaged bees and no foundation to work with it will take all season to build their home,stores, and build up enough bees for the winter.myself on my packages or splits i don't expect them to produce any extra honey....adding some drawn out frames will help them start laying faster i'd add some frames but more frames you add will take away from your established hives wintered over..just harvest honey from last years bees and let the packages you bought this year build up...i once heard you can either build bees or make honey.......


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

Moon said:


> I've seen this said before, doesn't the syrup all run out? I use high fructose corn syrup with EO's mixed in for feed.


No, even water won't run out - it's what it's made for.


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## Happy Honey Farm (Feb 14, 2010)

Buy nucs not packages you'll be farther ahead. they build up faster and u may have a chance to split a few.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

There are way too many gotchas to say which might affect you the most. Here are some suggestions.

1. Set aside 8 large colonies that will NOT be split. You will use them by setting your nucs on top to overwinter. This will double your chances that the nucs make it and if they don't, you will still have the 8 large colonies.

2. From your post, you seem to have some established colonies. Plan on pulling one or two frames of brood from each colony to add to the packages. This will boost the packages to strong colonies 3 weeks sooner than they would achieve on their own. It will also help control swarming in your established colonies.

3. Work on getting the apiaries in optimum locations. The difference a good wind break can make is dramatic when snowfall is measured in feet instead of inches. With the number of colonies you are suggesting, at least 2 locations are needed and 3 would make more sense because you would have room to grow the number of colonies.

4. Don't give your new packages too much room at one time. They can occupy one deep brood chamber at the beginning, then may need a second deep within 6 weeks. Watch the bees and let them tell you how much room they need. Your objective should be to get double deep brood chambers of drawn comb on every package and if they can make any surplus, then add more deeps and you will have some more drawn frames when the honey is extracted.

5. Plan on ordering or raising queens about 8 weeks after your first packages arrive. These will be used to convert the 2 month old package bees into nucs. You may want to play with the timing a bit, 2 months might not fit very well with your main honeyflow. In my climate, I would just raise a round of queens, but your season is much shorter so buying may make more sense.

6. Split the package colonies giving each nuc 3 frames of brood, 2 frames of honey, 5 frames of drawn comb (or foundation if you don't have drawn comb), and a queen or queen cell. They can either be in a single brood chamber at this point or else in double brood chambers divided so 2 nucs are in the same boxes. Since you will be feeding and caring for this number of colonies, I would suggest some type of internal feeder. Please note that you should be able to make around 80 to 90 nucs depending on how many frames of brood you have available. It is important to equalize the nucs as they are made up. Make up a dozen or so more nucs than you plan on overwintering. That will allow for a few of the inevitable losses in the process.

7. From that point it is a matter of feeding them enough to get them ready for winter. If timed correctly, the bees will raise 3 cycles of brood after they are split before winter weather sets in. This means back up from October 15th by about 70 days to find the correct date to make the splits. I get sometime around August 1st.

8. Prepare the nucs for winter by checking them and equalizing as needed and by breaking down or combining any that are not up to par. If you follow through and add the details you should wind up with some full size colonies going into winter and sixty to seventy 10 frame nucs sitting on top of the established colonies.

The next year should be interesting. Are you prepared to tend nearly 100 colonies of bees?

From your statement re coating the foundation with extra wax, I presume you are using some form of plasticell. You might ask about ways to do the coating, there are a few tricks that are very effective and don't take too much time.

DarJones


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

In addition to what's already been suggested...
If you want rapid build up, then feed, especially pollen patties.
The pollen feeding will create brood, lots of it fast.
Of course, it'll need a nectar flow or else you'll need to feed syrup also.
Here is a set of three vids...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzZXOjqh4fw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMVwNHn8bzc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnsRJanP8Pk&feature=related

Best of luck and Happy New Year.


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

Fill the comb with sugar then spritz with water to get it to harden up. It will give them feed and they will work on it to clean it out. That is what I do. You can also try and force in HFCS. The only way I have figured out how to do that is to force it in with a sprayer or hypo. That takes way to long. You could also fill the frames with sugar then pour on HFCS which will absorb/wick into the sugar in the frames.


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## Moon (May 7, 2011)

I thought I read somewhere that feeding them dry sugar can give them dysentery? I know a lot of people do and I haven't heard any real complaints about it but how hard is it on their little belly's?


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