Queen Nuc Construction

[Buff]

I want to raise some queens this year. Has anyone got a good queen breeding nuc blueprint?

[peggjam]

5 frame deep or medium nuc, with a divider down the center to seperate it into 2-2 frame nucs, bee tight, with cloth covers stapled down the center divider. 1/2" hole on each end going into the one side, so that the entrances are on different ends:).

[Buff]

Good plan. Does anyone else have any other thoughts?

[Jeffzhear]

5 frame deep or medium nuc, with a divider down the center to seperate it into 2-2 frame nucs, bee tight, with cloth covers stapled down the center divider. 1/2" hole on each end going into the one side, so that the entrances are on different ends:).

Do you use telescoping covers on top of the cloth? If not, wouldn't the cloth soak up moisture if it were under a migratory cover? Just curious...I like the idea of cloth stapled down the center divide.

[peggjam]

I do use telescoping covers on my 4-ways, but not on the doubles. They don't seem to wick much water into the hives, at least not enough to worry about:).

[WVbeekeeper]

Good plan. Does anyone else have any other thoughts?

Buy some from me!:D

http://208.69.121.208/forums/showthread.php?t=214629

[dewbeehoney]

I use standard size equipment.
By that I mean anything that fits a "standard deep frame".
Be it 5,4 or 3 frame nucleus, it does not matter much for mating.
I even use deep hive bodies, sealed at the bottom, divided into 3, three frame nucs. I drill holes on each side, and one end.

The point of using "standard equipment" is that you do not have to deal with storing comb (wax moth) and specialized equipment. At the end of the season, you can combine frames to make larger colonies or add them to existing colonies which may need a boost. You could also try to winter the nucs for replacement colonies in spring.

Here is a great idea which someone let me in on.
Make your nucs out of the blue or pink insulation board that they use for home construction. The insulating quality should be just the trick for overwintering those nucs.

[Michael Bush]

Jay Smith -- Queen Rearing simplified
"I strongly advise a nucleus hive that will take the regular brood-frame that is used in your hives. The one that I use is a twin hive, each compartment large enough to hold two jumbo frames and a division-board. The entrances are at opposite corners."

Jay Smith -- Better Queens
"we have adopted a larger mating hive, one holding five standard frames."

Isaac Hopkins -- Australasian Bee Manuel
"Some queen-breeders use a very small hive with much smaller frames than their common ones for keeping their queens in till mated, but for several reasons I consider it best to have but the one frame in both the queen-rearing and the ordinary hives. In the first place, a nucleus colony can be formed in a few minutes from any hive by simply transferring two or three frames and the adhering bees from it to the nucleus hive. Then again, a nucleus colony can be built up at any time or united with another where the frames are all alike, with very little trouble. And lastly, we have only the one sized frames to make. I have always used a nucleus hive such as I have described, and would not care to use any other."

C.C. Miller -- 50 years among the bees
"The frames for nuclei are the regular full-sized frames, and a full hive may be used for each nucleus"
"I use a full hive for each nucleus, merely putting 3 or 4 frames in one side of the hive, with a dummy beside them. To be sure, it takes more bees than to have three nuclei in one hive, but it is a good bit more convenient to build up into a full colony a nucleus that has the whole hive to itself."

G.M. Doolittle -- Scientific Queen Rearing
"take a frame of brood and one of honey, together with all of the adhering bees, being careful not to get the old Queen, and put the frames into a hive where you wish the nucleus to stand."

[Jeffzhear]

Regarding the center divide where you split a five frame NUC into 2 two framers: Do you anchor the center divide down? How do you make the divide and ensure it doesn't move around? And I presume you can remove it when you want to use the box as a standard NUC?

[peggjam]

I put a groove in the ends that will accept a 3/4" board. It can be secured with screws through the ends. I also run some nucs with screened bottoms, and on these I will staple the screen to the center as well:).

[Jeffzhear]

I put a groove in the ends that will accept a 3/4" board. It can be secured with screws through the ends. I also run some nucs with screened bottoms, and on these I will staple the screen to the center as well:).

Peggjam, someday when you have a moment and can take a pic, would you send it to me...I would appreciate it. I am pretty sure I have a good idea, but a pic is worth a thousand words.

Thanks friend!