DAY 1 Install package bees or capture swarm. Feed them with a sugar syrup solution made of 1 part granulated sugar and 1 part water. Any type of feeder can be used to dispense the syrup, however, the Boardman entrance feeder that is usually provided with most of the beginners' kits will allow you to monitor the syrup supply as well as add to it without entering the hive. KEEP A CLOSE WATCH ON THE SUPPLY OF SUGAR SYRUP AND DO NOT LET IT RUN OUT. A strong colony may use as much as 1/2 gallon or more of syrup per day until they build up their honey stores. Until then, your sugar syrup may be their only source of food.
DO NOT ENTER THE HIVE AGAIN FOR AT LEAST FIVE DAYS AND REFRAIN FROM ENTERING MORE THAN ONCE PER WEEK EXCEPT FOR THE PURPOSES OF FEEDING SUGAR SYRUP.
WEEK 1 Open the hive and observe the progress of the bees. If you have installed a package of bees, check the queen cage and make sure that she has been released. If she has not been released, then release her. If the queen has been released or if you are dealing with a captured swarm, proceed to look for the queen. By this time, 1 or 2 frames should be drawn with cone and you should see some eggs in the cells. If you don't find the queen but you do see eggs in the cells, don't panic, your queen is alive and doing her job. If, however, you don't find the queen or find no eggs in the cells or if you find that your queen is dead within her cage, then you need to place an order for a new queen, immediately.
If this is your first time opening a hive, here are a few pointers:
After getting your smoker going, direct a couple of gentle puffs at the entrance of the hive. Allow the smoke a couple of minutes to take effect. Then open the top just enough to direct some smoke into the top of the hive, close it and wait a couple of minutes for it to take effect. Afterwards, gently open the top completely and remove the inner cover. Direct a few puffs over the tops of the frames. If the bees seem to be sufficiently calmed, then place the smoker between your knees, holding it by the bellows while you work the hive. Work slowly. Make each movement deliberate and with purpose. Gently lift one of the frames that has been drawn with cone and look for the queen. You may have to use your hive tool to pry the frame because it has probably been propolized to the hive body. After you have observed the hive, close it up.
WEEK 2 Open your hive and check the progress. Continue to feed sugar syrup. You should now be able to see the pearly white, u- shaped brood.
WEEK 3 Open your hive and check the progress. At this time, you may notice a significant decline in the population of the adult bees. Don't panic, this is a natural part of the process. The average life span of a worker bee during the spring and summer months is only 3 weeks. As long as your queen is doing her job and you are seeing the cells being filled with brood, you have nothing to worry about. You should see an increase in your bees population within the next 2-3 weeks as the new bees begin to emerge. At this time, you should be seeing capped brood. You should also see your bees either working on or have drawn out at least 4-6 frames. If so, you may want to move one of the undrawn frames in and a drawn frame to the outer part of the body. The bees like to work in the center and this will encourage them to work all of the frames. Do not move the frames that have brood in them and only move one frame at a time on each side of the brood during each opening of the hive. Do not separate the brood nest because this might chill the brood.
Continue feeding sugar syrup.
WEEK 4 AND 5 Open the hive and check the progress. Sometime during these 2 weeks, you should see at least 8 frames that are drawn or at least have bees working them. If this is so, then it is time to add a second hive body. Make sure that you have 10 frames with foundation in the second hive body. Pull one of the center frames out and place a frame of drawn comb with bees from the first hive body into the empty space of the second hive body. Put the frame of foundation into the first hive body, placing it next to the brood nest. Bringing a frame of bees into the second hive body will encourage the bees to start working in that body.
Each week, thereafter, continue to move the unworked frames of foundation of the first hive body, inward until all 10 frames are drawn. Each week continue to manipulate the second hive body just like the first one. Continue feeding sugar syrup until the bees draw out all of the frames of both hive bodies and have filled them with either brood, pollen or honey or until the bees stop consuming the syrup.
It should take roughly 8-10 weeks to reach this point. Some books will tell you that you can stop feeding sugar syrup after about the fourth week. I suggest that you let the bees determine when you should stop feeding. When they no longer need to be fed, they will stop taking the syrup.
After you have successfully built up two hive bodies of comb, brood, honey and pollen, you should be ready to overwinter the bees or be prepared for the fall honey flow. You can super the hive to collect a fall crop, but I suggest that you let the bees have the fall honey to use for the winter. This will save you from having to feed them and will result in a stronger colony for the next spring honey flow.
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER Treat your bees for varroa mite, tracheal mite and foul brood.
OCTOBER Check the honey stores. If the bees don't have at least 10 full frames of capped honey, then feed them a 2 to 1, sugar to water solution until they do.
DECEMBER Check honey stores again, if the bees have not already built them up earlier. If feeding is necessary, use dry, granulated sugar and place it on top of the inner cover. You can also feed them at this time with 2 to 1 sugar syrup, if you use one of the feeders that is placed inside of the hive. Now is also the time to install the entrance reducer.
EARLY FEBRUARY Check honey stores, feed if necessary. Treat for foul brood and varroa mite.
MARCH If there are a significant number of blueberries in you area and depending on the weather, you may want to super your hive for a harvest of blueberry honey. Otherwise, be prepared to super your hive at least by April for the spring honey flow.*
* This guide is written for hives kept in the south central part of North Carolina. Scheduling may vary depending on your location and weather conditions.
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