From Hive to Nuc

[Flewster]

I have a weak hive that is real light on stores.........they only cover about 4 frames........can I move these into a 5 fram Nuc for winter........I bought the Bee Max Nuc and it states a man in Canada winters 2200 hives in them by putting syrup in the botom throughout the winter and that the bees do great.......can I move them into this for winter and do that or sould I continue to feed with a feeder on top?

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You have to stop and smell the roses......but please watch out for my bees.

[Michael Bush]

>I have a weak hive that is real light on stores.........they only cover about 4 frames

4 deeps I assume?

>can I move these into a 5 fram Nuc for winter

Certainly, but if they cover about 4 frames I'd figure an extra four for stores and that would be about eight. Do you have that many frames full of stores?

>I bought the Bee Max Nuc ......can I move them into this for winter and do that or sould I continue to feed with a feeder on top?

If you put them in the five frame Bee Max with five frames full of stores that's close to what they need. But you can try feeding on the bottom as they say. I've never tried that and am still trying to master getting a nuc through the winter. I'm trying one of the Beemax nucs this winter too to see how it works, but I don't have many deep frames or hives anymore, so that's not really a good solution for me in the long run.

[Flewster]

>4 deeps I assume?

yes

>Certainly, but if they cover about 4 frames I'd figure an extra four for stores and that would be about eight. Do you have that many frames full of stores?

They do not even have 4 extra for stores that is why I am feeding them.........they were all in the top box and not much at all for stores.............they kept requeening themselfs this summer and hardly built tow HB of comb and did not do well at all......next spring I want to requeen but I want to get them through winter first and felt that by putting them in the Nuc would be best since Beesource stated that you can overwinter in them by keeping feed in them..........

OK so when I move them (probably today as it is to be in the 50's) should I move over one frame of pollen or two? And should I place them on the sides or where?

Thank you Michael for your help.


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You have to stop and smell the roses......but please watch out for my bees.

[Flewster]

Well, I went out to check the hive and they had taken all 2 gallons of the syrup i put on last week so I lifted the hive and it was alot heavier........so I put on another 2 gallons of 2:1 and they were all over the feeder..........so i guess I will leave them in the hive as it is suppose to be in the 50's all week so maybe I can get at least two more gallons on them or more..........

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You have to stop and smell the roses......but please watch out for my bees.

[Michael Bush]

>OK so when I move them (probably today as it is to be in the 50's) should I move over one frame of pollen or two? And should I place them on the sides or where?

I know you decided not to, but if you were going to, I'd put in all the pollen you have and I'd probably put it on the sides.

They won't need the pollen now, but rearing brood early in the spring will probably be what gets a small nuc through. The brood rearing generates heat and replenishes the supply of bees.