We’re collecting our flow brood box tomorrow night from a beekeeper who has installed a nuc in it over this weekend. I’m not sure if we should put the super on it as soon as we get it home or leave it as is for a few days for the bees to settle. Also, would I need a smoker for whenever we do put the super on? We’re still waiting on ours to arrive in the post. Finally, I’ve read that it can helpful to leave an object (i.e. leafy branch, rag, piece of dowel) in front of the entrance so that the bees, when first opening the entrance after relocating them, have something to navigate around and that will help them to reorient themselves?
If anyone has any advice, it would be much appreciated as we’re complete new-bees!
You live in Brisbane if I have read your profile correctly. As its going into winter,even in your area, I would be concentrating on building the hive and forget any type of honey super till you have a couple of boxes of bees. With that many bees you will get honey during a flow. As for now, I would be letting them settle down, they will orientate without a branch if they have come a few kilometres from your supplier, then possibly get some syrup into them to try and fill out a box quickly before they really slow down for winter.
Just be careful with some of the advice on forums. With members all over the world most members are probably going into spring now and give advice suitable for that change. As we are in the slow down period that advice would not be suitable. I live in the Blue Mountains so we are almost neighbours
Its a pity that location does not seem to be displayed on this forum.
This info is available for anyone who enters the information. I would recommend anyone who wants the most accurate advice to take advantage of this feature in their profile. If you click on a users profile you can view any information they have put in for themselves.
I’m very mindful of considering advice dependant on location for some things. I understand we’re at the end of the flow here in Australia and after reading and chatting with local beeks, we’re going to ensure our brood box is full before putting the super on and will ensure there are enough stores to get them through our upcoming winter.
You should always take everyone’s advice online especially anyone who is flippant, completely disregards scientific discoveries or others experiences, and seems to know it all. Often they know the least, because all they know is what they have experienced.
Sometimes you have to learn the hard way but anyone who has a parent knows that they are always trying to tell you what you should do to prevent you from experiencing the “bad stuff”. The same can be true of advice from others even from online sources. Never follow blinding, and verify everything, but be open to new things that you didn’t know before.
I look at it like food/wine critics or movie reviewers. I find people whose opinions I trust based on finding them to be true, then when they make a suggestion or offer advice I am more likely to find that to be true as well because it is proven to be reliable in the past.
