Package queen supercedure

[tefer2]

Here's a a short video from Mike Palmer on package bees.
The good stuff doesn't come until the very end of the video!

[Ray]

I really like M Palmer's videos.
Concise explanation on what's wrong with packages.

[ledifni]

Yep yep I had already had this thought.  I'm getting a package this spring to make a second hive (I don't want to split my first hive since they went into winter already weak and they need their population).  But, I figure by the time that package gets in I should be able to steal a solid frame or two of sealed brood from the other hive and get them started, so they have young nurse bees almost immediately.  It will slow down the other hive's buildup but hopefully at that point they will already be strong enough to bear the loss.

[Ray]

A suggestion ledifni, and way of topic!
Keep your existing hive strong and split a little later.
If you have some empty COMB, it would be a great kick start to your package.

[LazyBkpr]

A good short little vid that says a lot.  What he says mirrors a lot of what I have seen, heard and experienced.

   I have had arguments with other people, who stated that bees from the south and even Hawaii were being shipped to Canada and they survived just fine, so..  "I" apparently didnt know how to winter bees...

  So this year, I bought ten nucs of dark bees, and ten packages...

   The first thing that happened, was that three of those packages superseded..   within the first week those bees had built queen cells..  I let them supersede..  At ten to twelve weeks, they all had brood in all stages, and six more queens were being superseded..  I also let them supersede...

   Two package queens were in Nucs, eight were allowed to build up full hives..
   Right now, the two nucs, and six of the hives are dead..
   Of the ten nucs I bought with dark local queens, the two nucs are still alive, and seven of the hives are still alive. One of them fell to Nosema..
   Winter is not over yet, but so far, what I thought would happen HAS happened..  I have lost a couple of my original hives to moisture due to my own fault, not the fault of the bees. But in general, my hives, and the nucs I bought are faring very well. it has been a mild winter up to the last couple of weeks..  We have a couple more weeks of frigid, then it should start to warm up a bit..  we'll see what happens between now and then!
  Basically, what it comes down to for me, is that I have decently prepared the bees for winter, wrapped, insulation on top, etc, etc..  If I have to do more than that to winter them, then...  I really dont want them. I will stick with the hives I have that survive with the method I use to winter.