10 frame nucs not ready for winter

[IndianaHoney]

Well, cold weather starts about mid Oct here. I have no experience trying to overwinter nucs. I have a few nucs that were started in early July. Most of them have built up to 10 frames and will be overwintered in a single deep. However, some of them have not made it past six frames. Would you take a frame of honey away and overwinter in a five frame nuc box, or try to build them up in the remaining four weeks? I could also combine to fill the deeps. I have a basement that stays at about 45-55 degrees in the winter, and I could screen them in and overwinter in the basement. The problem with that is that I would have to take them outside once in a while to let them use the potty.

[Michael Palmer]

Is the population ok? Are the 4 remaining frames comb? If so, you can feed them, and they should be ok.

[Eaglerock]

IN is flat, do you have high winds? If so make sure they have a shielding from the wind. I am going to put mine up near the back side of my office building. On the back deck. I am not sure putting them in a basement would be ok as they like to take warm day flights.
I agree with Mike, feed them 2:1 or better yet, 3:1 and let them keep working on the remaining frames. If you don't have top feeders you could use two feeders in the front. I even have one small hive that I used both, I just didn't fill the top feeder full due that it might mold. They have 7.5 frames filled out.

[IndianaHoney]

MP,

On some of them there are four undrawn frames, on others there are three undrawn frames. And some of them are a full ten frames, with those I will overwinter in the deep.

I do have some drawn comb in my basement, so that is not a problem. As far as the population, some are six frames of bees, some are as low as four.

A thought that I had was to give frames of bees from some of the stong hives, then overwinter thoses hives as a single deep as well.

We do have very stong winds here, that is my concern with these nucs.

[Michael Palmer]

I'd reduce the size of the nucs with undrawn frames.

[J-Bees]

while looking at my two small hives today I thought I just may try to put one hive on top of the other -- - with them combined I feel they will make it better thru our cold here which is not to bad sometimes.

Here is how I plan on doing it: both hives have screened bottom boards so I want to remove the top cover of the bottom hive and place the other hive ontop of it, screened bottom hive and then top cover.

Will this work????


thanks JB:}

[IndianaHoney]

What about overwintering them as two five frame nucs in a deep with a devider between them? Has anyone tried this? What are the advantages, disadvantages, and what were your results?

[RayMarler]

What about overwintering them as two five frame nucs in a deep with a devider between them? Has anyone tried this? What are the advantages, disadvantages, and what were your results?

Gary,
I've not done this myself, but have heard that it is an advantage as the side by side nucs can share warmth.

I've found in my own experience that combining to make strong hives in the late fall gives me better success than trying to over winter with a larger quantity of weaker/smaller hives. I'll be combining any hives that are not a full box by themselves by mid/end of October here.

You might try combining some and then using others as side by side nucs in a deep with divider board. Let us know which ones make it best into the spring.

Best of luck to ya

[J-Bees]

What about overwintering them as two five frame nucs in a deep with a devider between them? Has anyone tried this? What are the advantages, disadvantages, and what were your results?

I can't do it that way for sure, They are already a deep plus big. so I guess as long as they finnish filling the Med..... with food they can make it alone, Hu?

JB:}