Well the bees from Georgia made it through cold(40°) nights and rainy first week here in southern Illinois. This is my brothers first hive, now if I can just convince my wife that I need a hive or 2 myself.

I installed my Nuc's on May 7th, they needed sugar water. I did put some pollen patties but they were bringing in pollen from Dandelions. I still have them in a single eight frame box and will check them next week to see what to do next.

This is something that I want to do in several years... just have too many projects going on in my life right now.

Not sure if he is feeding or not, but blackberry is blooming all along a power line right away just behind the hive.

This was just a 3lb package. Havent heard if he has done an inspection yet.

Same here but I live in town and my wife wasnt keen on the idea anyway.

I feed all my new hive or splits all they will take till they get a brood chamber almost full of comb then add a box and feed some more. I want them big and strong for fall.

Can reduce that entrance down quite a bit if he's worried about the recent cold. Keeps the brood warm so you don't see dead brood out front on the ground in a couple days. Doesn't look like he has a top entrance hole so he might be OK....but they don't need the entire bottom board open in the cold. Just a thought.

You are correct no top entrance, its an 8 frame deep box. He had an entrance reducer on it the first few days after he opened the hive entrance up. It has been in the mid 60s at night and 80ish during the day the past few days so he took the reducer off.