When to Expand NUCs

[Trish's Treasures]

This is my first year with my own NUCS and I have a couple of questions>>>

I checked my NUCs today and they are starting to get cramped. Do I just pull a frame of brood for one of my other hives or start them in a 10 frame hive (if so what are their chances of survival).
Thanks Walt

[peggjam]

Just depends on what you want to end up with. A strong single will winter as well as a strong double. If you want to keep them as nucs then just take a frame or two of brood out and gift to another needy hive, or start another nuc with some brood and queen cells you were talking about in your other thread:).

[Michael Bush]

This is the time of year I'd start thinking about getting hives in a good position to overwinter. I'd give them more room and let them finish getting established enough to get through the winter.

[FordGuy]

This is my first year with my own NUCS and I have a couple of questions>>>

I checked my NUCs today and they are starting to get cramped. Do I just pull a frame of brood for one of my other hives or start them in a 10 frame hive (if so what are their chances of survival).
Thanks Walt

Walt, if you have a strong fall flow (ask local beeks) then put them in a 10 frame lang and let them grow. keep the empty nuc box for extra queen cells.

If you don't have s strong flow, then just let them overwinter in the nuc, put them in the 10 frame box sometime in April before your elm bloom

[Michael Palmer]

>Do I just pull a frame of brood for one of my other hives or start them in a 10 frame hive<

I'd remove a frame of brood from each, and add an empty frame. Asking them to fill a 10 frame box in Mid-August...when you're in Cooperstown New York...might be a bit much.

I have 400+ nucs to check in the next couple weeks...Running a bit late this year as I just got back from an exceptional EAS meeting in Delaware...and wouldn't even consider expanding onto 10 combs. I have nucs located a bit further north than you, in Clinton county...on the Canada border.