Second Delivery Date May Be Changing

The delivery date may be changing to an earlier date. Stay tuned for updates.

First delivery follow up

The first delivery went very well. The pick up schedule was followed by the beekeepers picking up with the schedule. The wait time for bees was usually five minutes. The crew was able to process everyone through very quickly.
 It is a long day for all of us, it starts at 6 am and ends at 7 pm. Beekeepers come all day and the only rest we all get is our lunch break.
I can't say enough about my helpers without them this all would not be possible.

From the left: Bob, Warren, Mike, Jim, Brian, Eric, Bill, Cory, not pictured Joe, photo by Wendy

Updated Pick up schedule for first delivery, Saturday, April 12th 2014

Pollen Patties 2 pks - $9.00 / 10 lb Box $37.00 / 40 lb box $87.00
Feeder Pails $5.00 each / ProSweet Bee Syrup $46.00 5 gallons
Sales Tax is included in the above pricing. Please have exact change if possible.
The bees will arrive here sometime on Friday. They will be available for pickup on Friday first come first served . I will publish on this blog when we are ready pass out the bees. Don't show up here unless you know the bees are here.
Please Clean ALL DEBRIS out of the returning cages. No Bees, No Feed Cans, No Queen Cages, No Spiderwebs, No leaves, No Cottonwood Seeds - Thank You
SATURDAY Please follow the schedule. There are 600 beekeepers stopping by and if we get off schedule wait time will rise considerably.
Please drive in the driveway marked enter. Pull up as far as you can and stay with your vehicle. We will come to you.
SATURDAY PICK UP SCHEDULE
We will go by the first initial of your last name.
  7:00 am any large orders over 50
W - Z    7:30 am - 8:30 am
T - V     8:30 am  - 9:30 am
R - S     9:30 am - 10:30 am
N - Q    10:30 am - 11:30 am

11:30 - Lunch for the crew

L - M    12:30 pm - 1:30pm
H - K    1:30 pm  -  2:30 pm
E - G     2:30 pm  -  3:30 pm
A - D     3:30 pm  -  4:30 pm 
Open time 4:30 pm - 7 pm
There is no rush to put the bees in. It is best to install packages after 6:00 pm. Putting them in late in the day helps prevent them from absconding.

On Bee Pick Up Day

 Bee Pick Up Days- April 12th and April 22nd
On bee pick up day we will not be selling any equipment. If you need equipment get it before the bees come.
We are working outside so there will be no electricity, we will not be taking credit or debit cards.
The only thing for sale will be: Pollen Patties in two packs, 10 lb box or 40 lb box, Feeder Pails, ProSweet Bee Syrup, and ProHealth

Installing Package Bees

This is a video I made a couple years ago. I was taught this method by the University of MN short course 25 years ago. I added the marshmallow queen release for the packages. I want to say that a marshmallow should never be used for releasing a queen into a colony. The only reason it works in a package is because the bees have been with her for four days.

Shaking Packages

The season for package bees is starting in California.

Setting out queen mating nucs

Checking a new queen in a mating nuc. See the capped brood on the mini frames. Mating successful

Truck full of mating nucs. Olivarez Honey Bees put out 30,000 queen mating nucs out. Each queen that comes in a package is produced in one of these nucs.

Shaking bees off of frames into a shaker box. The shaker box is then poured into 2 or 3 lb package bee cages and a new queen is then added with the bees

Open Sunday

We will be open the next two Sundays 11 - 2 pm for equipment sales