You've got bees on order. (You do, right? No? Pitter patter, better get at 'er.)The weeks between placing your order and pickup day go faster than you'd think. One minute you're browsing the website, next minute you're driving home with a buzzing box in your backseat wondering if you own a hive stand. Here's how to avoid that particular adventure.
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EQUIPMENT: THE NON-NEGOTIABLES
At minimum, you need a hive ready to go—bottom board, deep box, frames, inner cover, outer cover. Sounds obvious, but every year someone shows up to pickup and mentions they're "still waiting on equipment to ship."Don't be that guy. That guy has to keep bees in his garage for three days while his spouse asks pointed questions about life choices.Order early. Suppliers get backed up in spring just like we do.
A Few Specifics
Frames and foundation: If you're using foundation, get it installed in your frames before pickup day. You don't want to be fumbling with wax sheets while 10,000 bees wait in a box on your kitchen floor. They're patient, but not that patient. And your kitchen floor has seen enough.
Feeders
New packages need to be fed. They're showing up with nothing—no comb, no stores, just vibes and determination. A frame feeder, hive-top feeder, or even a simple jar feeder works. Just have something ready.
Entrance Reducer
A small colony can't defend a full-width entrance. It's like leaving your front door wide open and hoping for the best. The reducer also helps them maintain temperature during those "wait, it's April and it's snowing?" nights we're so famous for.
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SUPPLIES TO HAVE ON HAND
Sugar for Syrup
A lot of it. Plan on 25-50 lbs minimum for your first few weeks. We recommend 1:1 ratio (equal parts sugar and water by weight) for spring feeding. Yes, the checkout person at the grocery store will look at you funny. No, you don't have to explain. But you can if you want to watch someone's eyes glaze over.
Pollen Substitute (Optional but Helpful)
Early spring in our territory means limited natural pollen. A pollen patty gives them protein for brood-rearing while they wait for dandelions and willows to finally get their act together.
Spray Bottle with Sugar Water
You'll use this during installation to calm the bees and give them something to focus on besides you. Wet bees are chill bees. Mostly.
Smoker and Fuel
You'll want it lit and ready during installation. Some folks skip it for package installs since the bees are usually pretty docile, but "usually" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. Have it ready. Pine needles, burlap, wood pellets—whatever you use, make sure you've done a practice run before you're standing next to 10,000 bees wondering why it won't stay lit.
Hive tool
You'll use it every single time you open a hive for the rest of your beekeeping life. Prying apart frames, scraping propolis, lifting boxes—this little pry bar does it all. Buy two or three. They have a talent for disappearing into tall grass, and you will absolutely set one down "just for a second" and never see it again.
Your Basic Protective Gear
Veil at minimum. Full suit if you're new or just prefer not to test your calm-under-pressure skills on day one. No judgment here—whatever keeps you relaxed keeps the bees relaxed. They can smell panic. Probably. Actually, definitely.
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YOUR HIVE LOCATION
If you haven't picked a spot yet, here's the short version:
Morning sun is more important than afternoon sun. Gets them up and working early, like a good strong coffee.Some afternoon shade is fine, especially in the southern parts of our territory where July gets aggressive.
Wind protection matters more than most people think. A fence, building, or tree line on the north/west side makes a real difference. Your bees didn't survive a trip from California just to get sandblasted by a prairie wind.
Keep the entrance clear of tall grass and obstructions. They've got tiny legs and big ambitions—don't make it harder than it needs to be.
Make sure YOU can access it easily. You'll be visiting regularly, sometimes carrying stuff, sometimes in a hurry. That "scenic spot" at the back of the property gets old fast.
Give yourself time to set up the hive stand and get everything level before pickup day. Rushing that part in the dark after a four-hour drive home with bees humming behind your head isn't the peaceful farming experience you imagined.
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THE WEEK BEFORE PICKUP
Confirm your pickup location and time window. Check your email—we send reminders, but double-check anyway. Showing up at the wrong town is a long drive to nowhere. Ask us how we know people do this.
Make your syrup ahead of time. Let it cool completely. You can store it for a few days. Warm syrup is fine. Hot syrup is a tragedy. Room temperature syrup is the goal.Do a final equipment check. Frames in the box? Feeder ready? Entrance reducer? Lid actually fits and isn't still in the shipping box in your garage? Good talk.
Plan your installation timing. Late afternoon or early evening works best—bees settle in overnight rather than immediately trying to orient and fly. Think of it as letting them sleep off the road trip before exploring the new neighborhood.
Check the weather. If a nasty cold snap is coming right after pickup, have a plan. A garage or sheltered spot for the first night isn't ideal, but it beats a dead colony. We're practical people up here.
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A NOTE ON REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
Your new package won't look like much at first. A small cluster on a few frames, some confused bees wandering around, a queen in a cage giving you a look that says "I've had a day."That's normal.
In two weeks, you should see eggs and young larvae—proof the queen is accepted, settled in, and doing her thing. In four weeks, you'll have capped brood and the population will start climbing. By mid-summer, that sad little cluster will be a booming colony and you'll feel like a genius.
But it takes time. Don't panic if week one looks sparse. Don't start googling "is my hive dying" at 11 PM. That way lies madness and bee forums. Just give them a chance to work.
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WHAT WE PROVIDE AT PICKUP
We're putting together a full installation guide that'll be posted right here on the blog—step-by-step, no guesswork. Free for anyone to use, whether you bought from us or not. (We're rooting for all the bees, not just ours.) Keep an eye out for that one.
We're also happy to answer questions at pickup. That's part of why we drive thousands of miles doing this route system instead of slapping a shipping label on a box and hoping for the best.
But the more prepared you are beforehand, the smoother that first day goes. And the less your spouse has to hear about bees living in the garage.
Questions before pickup day? Shoot us a message. We'd rather answer it now than have you panicking in a parking lot later.