New Beehive! Need help NOW!!!!!!

[ChickyChickens]

I have been wanting bees since I was in grade one and now my mother gave me a beehive for my 13th birthday! Anyway here in South Africa they don't sell bees , bee packages, nucs etc. So one either has to catch a swarm, relocate ANOTHER WILD HIVE OR BUY FROM ANOTHER BEE KEEPER!!!!!
I found out that one of my neighbors had a wild beehive living in one of his boxes that he kept outside his garage! I asked him if I could take out the bees and put them in my bee box! He said that he wanted 50 rand and a box of cigarettes(which I got out of mu dad shop). I agreed and we made a deal!
SO all I had to do was take my box to his house and placed the beehive in the box by cutting off the comb and tying it on to the bee frames!
When we started I noticed that the top of the box(which is where the were on) was loose and could come off! Lucky for me that fat right in but I couldn't put any frames in! SO I put the top of the wood box in the deep box! Then I put the super on top of it with the frames!
The bees have started building comb on the frames in the super!
Here in South Africa its winter!!!! I am scared that the bees will build their honeycomb in a funny way and join it on my box and them I wont be able to fix it!
Must I wait till the queen moves into the super( and then put the queen excluder on so she cant go back down? And then when she is at the top I will take the wood out cut off the combs, join them to the frames and then put them in ???
I really need help!
If there are any other ideas please help me !!!


JUST REMEMBER ITS WINTER HERE

 

[ChickenCanoe]

First of all, don't panic.
How cold is it?
Don't open the hive when it's cold, below 16C.
You can always work things out when it warms up in the spring. The most important thing is to get the colony through the winter. If it gets really cold they're not going to raise any more brood. I would insulate the hive and feed them through the winter.

 

[ChickyChickens]

It is very cold in the morning ( -5 to 10) but then it warms up to about 20 - 30 in the afternoon and when it's hotter they do fly around and I have seen them some back with some pollen!!!
I'm feeding them sugar water ( 1 to 1 ratio) with an internal feeder. I know they drinking it because I had to fill it up again.
I don't know if they have any honey because they have build wild.comb so I can't see much !!
How would I insulate the hive. If I do wouldn't they have troublep keeping the hive cool at midday????

 

[ChickenCanoe]

At those temperatures, they won't have trouble keeping the hive cool.
Some suggestions are wrapping the hive body with tar paper or corrugated plastic sheets.

 

[ChickyChickens]

Ok thanx! Do you think its still necessary that the temp is warm! Yesterday I had I little look at the outside comb and I could see eggs so there is a queen and she is laying!

 

[abserbean]

Are your temps in Celsius or Fahrenheit? I am guessing Celsius, so it should be warm enough.

 

[ChickyChickens]

They are in Celsius! Thanks for the help guys!!!!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Best of luck with your bees. It's fun but can be difficult to keep the hive strong.

 

[ChickyChickens]

The hive is huge!
When I put them in the box they couldn't fit so I had to brush some off in front of the hive and then let them go in in to the hive later by themselves! When I checked on them on Monday they were squished in the super and the deep box!
Its unbelievable!!! At least here in Vryheid there are still some flowering plants in winter and I have seen some come back with pollen. So I am sure they will be fine.

 

[ChickyChickens]

Just want to update.
Sadly the bees have died in the Winter but I have a guy that might be coming out to our farm that could remove a beehive out of our shed into the box! IT might make my dad feel a little bit better with me working with bees (he is allergic)
I cant wait to harvest my first honey and also see a healthy hive of bees...