Package bee production involves shaking bees from strong colonies into a large, screened “shaker box” and then distributing the bees from the shaker box into smaller screened wooden boxes known as “packages.” The amount of bees put into a package is weighed (either 2 or 3 lbs, which corresponds to about 7,000 or 10,500 bees, respectively). A caged, mated queen bee, harvested earlier from a mating nuc (see FAQ above) is introduced into the package of bees. Finally, a can of sugar syrup is placed into the package to provide food for the bees. The packages are then either shipped or trucked to their final destination.
It is important to note that the queen in the package is not the mother of the bees in the package until her new brood begins to emerge, at least 21 days after the package is hived by the beekeeper.
- Marla Spivak, University of Minnesota
Bee Informed Partnership