Installing the Bee Package - Page 2 - Beekeeping Supplies Protective Clothing Beekeeping Equipment

Installing the Bee Packages
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	Installation task
	Step 11 - Remove the cork covering the candy plug The queen cage contains a candy plug that the worker bees eat over a period of two or three days to release the queen gradually. This gradual release maximizes the chances of the colony accepting the queen, since her pheromone scent has time to pervade the hive.
	You will need to remove the cork at the candy-plug end of the queen cage to give the workers access to the candy plug. Using needle-nose pliers, insert the jaws firmly on either side of the cork as deeply as possible, rotate the pliers around the edge of the cork to loosen it, and carefully remove the cork. Ensure that you don't push the cork into the candy plug during the process, making it impossible to remove.
	Step 12 - Install the queen cage in the brood box Insert the queen cage in the gap between the middle frames of the brood box. Orient the cage so the screen faces toward the front or back of the brood box, not toward the frames.
	Push the queen cage down slowly until the top of the cage is flush with the tops of the frames on either side.
	When you have completed installation of the queen cage, the cage will be firmly wedged between the middle frames of the brood box, with the screen facing either the front or the back of the box. The cork blocking the candy plug is gone so the plug will be exposed to the worker bees, allowing them to eat the candy over several days, finally releasing the queen.
	Step 13 - Remove and discard the feeder can Using your steel hive tool, again remove the feeder can as shown in steps 6 and 7. Maintaining a firm grip, lift the feeder can completely out of the package, be careful not to drop it. Brush the worker bees that are clinging to the bottom of the can onto the queen cage in the brood box.
	Step 14 - Dump the bees into the brood box Hold the package upside down directly over the brood box. Grasp both ends of the package firmly in preparation for dumping the bees onto the queen cage.
	Using a quick, downward jarring motion, dump the bees out of the package directly onto the queen cage. Take care to dump bees onto the frames and not outside the box, and be careful to not allow the package to hit the brood frames or box during this process.
	Continue dumping the bees out of the package until it is as empty as possible. Most of the dead bees that were at the bottom of the package will also be dumped onto the frames. Do not concern yourself with this, as the other workers will themselves discard the dead bees.
	Step 15 - Place the empty package at the entrance There will still be a few bees left inside the package. Place the package in front of or beside the hive entrance, with the opening toward the entrance. This encourages the bees still in the package to enter the hive.
	Step 16 - See Next Page

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