Installing a nuc into medium supers

[Mountain Homestead]

I'm a new beekeeper and have ordered a nuc for the spring. The nuc I have ordered comes with deep frames, but I am planning on using medium supers for everything.

How do I install the bees?

I have a couple older deep boxes, but really don't want to invest too much in different size frames/boxes/etc... if I don't have to.

My first thought is to start them in a single deep and then get them to move into mediums. Maybe use medium frames in the deep?

Thanks for any help!

[concrete-bees]

id say just get a deep box and frames for it - then use it for the first year as a brood box and then after they get the mediums drawn - put a queen excluder above the deep and put the queen up top- after the bees have hatched out - take the box away - keep it for swarms or trade it for mediums

[scdw43]

If you use medium frames in a deep box, you will not like the outcome. You will have to put them in a deep box until they get that box filled out, then you can set your mediums on top. If they fill a couple of mediums out, next spring the bees will be in the mediums on top. You can remove the deep box off of the bottom. You might as well use the deep as a brood chamber. If you want to make splits use the mediums to make up your splits. You want to run all mediums and the only thing I use mediums for is mating nucs. I do make up a few nucs, to sell, out of mediums just to have them available.

[beeware10]

hi
not sure, but I assume you will have a 5 frame nuc box. set your med on top but put narrow plywood strips on the bottom on each side of the med to fill the space. the bees will move up. keep adding supers until you can pull the nuc out. you may have to add braces to keep it from tipping until you get the nuc out. after the deeps are empty saw the bottoms off to make med frames. down the road you will be glad you have med equip.

good luck, beeware10

[waynesgarden]

Since you have an old deep, just put the nuc frames in the center and put medium frames to the outside. They will be slow drawing comb on the outermost frames anyway and the inner medium frames may get comb drawn down from the bottom bar. It's only a few frames that will be affected thusly and it is hardly the end of the world. I have more than a couple of medium frames in deep boxes right now drawn down to the depth of a deep. Nothing to make me unhappy there. I also have deeps with comb drawn from only a Lang top bar. The bees will build comb and as long as it is reasonably straight, there is no reason why you won't be happy with it. This is in your lower brood box and you won't be putting it in an extractor. Plus, it is only temporary. Tilt the hive back periodically, peek under and check that the comb is straight. No need to muck around in the brood nest much. You could even cut off new comb with a sharp knife from below, I suppose, but I wouldn't bother.

As brood hatches and the season wears on, you will find the bottom box getting empty. This is a good time to grab that bottom box, move any medium frames with brood or stores into a new medium, cut off any comb hanging below the bottom bar of the medium frames and retire that deep and the deep frames. You could put it on top of a queen excluder when you get a medium drawn out as CB suggested. (Make sure the queen is below.) The goal is to retire the deep equipment as fast as possible.

I started out with only mediums and now have a mix of equipment, but if you wan't to run only mediums, there is no need to feel like you are stuck with that deep.

I had to do a late combine with a hive consisting of (3) 8 frame mediums. The nuc that was the best choice for this was on 5 deep frames. Since I didn't have a deep 8 frame box on hand, I built a three inch shim, set it on the bottom board, set the lower medium on it and moved the 5 deep frames from the nuc into it. The remaining 3 med. frames may have comb drawn on the underside come spring but nothing gets wasted.

And remember, an unused deep is perfect to put over a one or two gallon feeder pail. It is why I had so many on hand before I started combining them into my brood box arrangement.

Wayne

[Panhandle Scott]

[QUOTE=Mountain Homestead;597201]
My first thought is to start them in a single deep and then get them to move into mediums. Maybe use medium frames in the deep?
QUOTE]

You answered your own question in the first part but don't try the second part.

[Michael Bush]

There are many options none of which are simple and pretty. You can put mediums in the deep and they will fill the bottom with comb which you later will have to cut off an tie in frames or waste. Or you can cut the deeps out and tie them into mediums. Or you can make a shim to put on top of one half that will let you put the deeps in the medium or you can add a spacer under the mediums in the deep. Or you can add the five frame deep box over a medium box and put a board on the side...

[iwombat]

Get a deep, use it for the first year. The spring after, when they've moved up into the mediums, remove it. Cut the deep down to a medium after that if you want, or save it until the next nuc.

All the other options are going to be a pain. Especially, for a newbie.