This section is from the book "How To Keep Bees And Sell Honey", by Walter T. Kelley. Also available from Amazon: How To Keep Bees And Sell Honey.
A few days before you expect your bees to arrive decide where to place them. Do not put them too close to the front or back door, nor near the wash line or other places frequented daily and if possible put them where your neighbor cannot see them too easily and become frightened. Look for all possible sources of trouble and try to avoid them. It is best to get them into the right location at first if possible.
Keep the grass cut around your bees. Keep the bottom boards off the ground. An extended board is a big help, especially on the windy days. Paint your hives every year so that you will be proud to show them to any visitors.
Try to locate bees where they will get the morning and evening sunlight but where they will have a light shade from 10 a. m. to 3 p. m. It is desirable that the hives face east or south. Do not put them close to a fence or building as you need to stand to the rear of the hives when examining them and you will need to keep the entrance free of weeds and grass. While you may not have the ideal place keep all of these points in mind so that you will not have to move the colony after it is established.
Package bees are normally crated in twos and threes with the feeder can in the middle and the queen in her individual cage in the package. The bees are shaken from the frames through a large funnel into the cages and weighed on a spring scale.
Using rocks, blocks, brick or pieces of wood make a stand to set the hive on getting it high enough so that it will always be out of the water. Tip the hive slightly forward so that any moisture or rain will run out of the hive entrance and have the hive reasonably level crosswise. Put your Boardman feeder in position, take some grass or weeds and shove it in the entrance loosely so that the bees cannot readily get out but not air tight because the bees must have air. Place only five of the frames with the foundation in the hive at this time. This will leave ample space to pour in the bees which will later on climb up and cluster on the sheets of comb foundation.
Do not order your package bees shipped unless you have your hives on hand and you are sure that you will have them nailed and painted and completely ready for the bees on arrival. It will be advisable for you to advise your postmaster, if your bees are arriving by parcel post, or your express agent if by express. Tell him that you are expecting the bees and give him your telephone number so he can call you promptly on arrival. This is especially important if the bees arrive on the week end or they may otherwise remain undelivered in the office for two or three days.
Order your bees for very early spring delivery; early in April is preferable. If it should be snowing or raining when the bees arrive have no fears because you can safely keep them several days in their cage, which contains feed in the can.
Bees require water; supply it near their hives so that they will not frequent your neighbors' watering places.
Purchase at least 10 pounds of sugar for each package that you have ordered and a day or two before you expect them mix up a quantity of syrup using approximately 10 pounds of granulated sugar to 1 gallon of warm water. Do not attempt to use brown sugar or other kinds of syrup. Granulated sugar and water make the only good bee feed as well as the cheapest.
Before taking delivery on your bees look in the cage to see if there is any appreciable amount of dead bees on the bottom of the cage. Drones usually die in shipment and it is not unusual to find 200 or 300 dead worker bees. In weighing in the bees shippers plan to give an overweight of about 1, 000 bees so don't feel badly over a few dead bees which may be expected from natural causes.
If an appreciable amount of the bees are dead, say 25% or more, have the express agent make a bad order receipt or the postmaster a notation on his official stationery stating the estimated percentage dead and mail it to the bee shipper asking him for either replacement or a refund on the dead portion.
It will be easy to see inside of the cage, provided you have the light in the right position. If the bees are rushing around and you cannot be sure take a glass of water and dash it in on them. If not sufficient use several glassfuls. You do not need to worry about drowning them.
 
Continue to: