New honey flow hive and bee package

New guy here , am getting ready in 3 weeks on getting my first bee package. I search and read but dont understand this part. MITES. I understand how to put my bees in my brooder but then i read i must treat a new package for mites. Some people say no and others say yes . Am confused and want to be a good beginner bee keeper any help on clearings this up so a new guy can understand. Thank you all for being patient with me.

This is what works in my area. Try to have the blue shop towels on by early summer and keep them on until winter.

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That is a brood box, not a brooder - chickens use brooders, bees use brood boxes. :wink: When you install a package, they will not have any brood with them. Varroa mites can only breed in brood. Some people use “brood breaks” as a way to reduce mite counts, so your package will have a short brood break which will help reduce the mite load. Many package producers treat the packages with an oxalic acid sugar syrup spray before they ship them. This helps to reduce the mite load too.

In summary, I would say do not worry about mites until you have drawn comb with plenty of capped brood. As @Doug1 says, I would anticipate that will not be before early summer at the soonest. Keep reading and asking questions, and you will discover what works best for you over time.

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