How to Install a Package of Honey bees

The weather is perfect, your hives are all set up in the perfect location, and it’s almost time to pick up your brand new bees. But wait, how the heck do the bees go from box to hive?? In this post, I will put your mind at ease and explain how to install a package of honey bees.

Getting Ready to Hive Your Bees

You will want to install it on a day with no rain, if possible. I have kept packages of bees in my garage overnight to wait for the rain to clear, but you really don’t want to wait longer than that in most cases.

Start by making sure all equipment is set up, preferably before the bees arrive. Have your hives set up where you want them, with all the frames in. Have your sugar water and feeders ready to go. Don’t install them on the hive yet though, you will need to move them to put your bees in the hive! You also don’t want other insects attracted to your equipment.

Take some of your sugar water and put it into a clean (never used for chemicals) spray bottle, this will be used to spray down the bees before installing. I find it works better than trying to keep a smoker lit. The syrup keeps them calm and prevents them from being able to fly until they clean off.

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The Day of Installing

Once it’s time to put the bees in their new home, put on your suit and gloves and head down to your hives. Remember to bring your hive tool, feeders, sugar water, spray bottle, and, of course, your bees!

I like to place each package by the hive they will be installed in. Once you’re ready to begin, open the first hive. Take out the center four to five frames and place them to the side. Give the bees a good spray with the syrup on the exposed sides of the package. Now go to your first package and pry the top off with your hive tool. Using the edge of your hive tool, carefully lift the feed can out of the package (this may take a few attempts, be careful, as the queen cage is right next to the can and you don’t want to damage her!). You will now be able to remove the queen cage from the package. Place her somewhere safe! Remember, she is the most important member of your hive!

Next, take your open box of bees and rap it solidly against the ground. This will knock most of the bees into one area, making it easier for the next step. Take the box and start dumping bees into the space created by removing frames. Don’t be afraid to shake it firmly and rap the sides to get them out.

Carefully replace the frames into the hive. Now, ever-so-gently, take out your queen cage. The next step has a choice. You can do as I do, and immediately release the queen -or- put the cage into the hive for the bees to naturally release her.

The reason many advise to keep the queen in her cage at first is because the queen and workers are not from the same hive. Meaning, whoever made the package took bees from one hive and then added a queen that they bred. So the bees won’t immediately recognize this new queen. But I have found that in the time they have traveled together in the package, they have no issues. I always immediately release the queen into the hive now.

If you do choose to put the cage into the hive and let the bees release her, make sure that one of the sides is a candy plug that the bees can chew through. If it isn’t, you can either carefully replace the cork with a mini-marshmallow or come back in two days and manually release her. I recommend the marshmallow (just make sure to keep the hole covered or she may come out) since if the weather is bad, you won’t want to open the hive.

Lastly, you will install the feeder of your choice. I love top feeders as they are so convenient. Give each hive their share of sugar water and close them up (click here for my article on feeding your bees). Make sure you have an entrance reducer on and if the weather is going to be nice, stuff a little grass in the entrance for the first few days. This is especially important if you immediately released the queen. You don’t want them leaving the hive on you!

Well, you did it! You now know how to install a package of honey bees! Be sure to ask any questions you have- I remember my first time dealing with bees! I hope you enjoy your new beehives!