How do we make package bees with a VSH queen?

Package day is a magical and complicated day here at TKB.

a swarm of bees, similar to a package of bees, needs to find a home ASAP

Package day starts the Tuesday before when we begin to catch and cage 100+ VSH daughter queens for the packages of bees. 

Well really it starts in April when we select from our best queens, graft and make queen bees for the transition North. 

But that Tuesday is when the harvest of months of labor and transition begins. 

The queens we catch on Tuesday are held in a queen bank— a strong queenless colony of nurse bees that cares for them throughout the week. 

Then Wednesday we drop cells we started the week before to make new queens. 

Meanwhile Wednesday -Thursday at our partner farm the beekeepers are shaking packages and driving thru the night to get them to New England, each with some queen pheromone for the road. 

We meet our bee supplier Friday at dawn. The bees are unloaded into an air conditioned space, and treated with OA to ensure there's no mites on the adult bees. This ensures when they get to you they're ready to thrive and build, and not infect the next generation with mites.

Then we spend hours placing each of the 100+ queens we caught Tuesday in each package and then store them in a cold dark barn so they bond with their new queen. 

Then beekeepers arrive to pick them up. We check names off a long list, distribute bees, answer questions and do demonstrations. Simultaneously our state bee inspector comes to take samples from our package and queen bees to make sure they’re all healthy and comply with state standards. 

Then in a blur it’s all over and we collapse into an exhausted heap on the floor… at least until Monday when we get ready to graft and make splits for the next round of queens! 

So, when I say I am boundaried around package bees it is because 5 years of experience has taught me where my edges are and how to not go beyond them. 

We offer an online learning series, a mentorship program, one-on-one consults and educational happenings here on the farm all to prepare people to receive bees. As humans we are working hard and carefully to make sure you have all you need for pick up. 

Bees are alive, and have been in transition for almost a week once they’re in your hands. They need to be tucked into their home and fed (VERY IMPORTANT), loved and cared for so they can thrive after this bit of stress. 

How do you install a package? Watch our video right here for optimal success-