Mating nuc questions

[Broke-T]

For those that produce queens to sell. What type of mating nuc do you use? What is your normal cycle time?

Just wondering what people are currently doing. Is there anything you would do different.

I use a double nuc with 3 full size medium frames on each side, and I pull queens 21 days after cells are planted.

Johnny

[rkereid]

Johnny,

I use double mediums with 3 or 4 frames, and also singles with 4 frames. After the flow these get made up with a division board feeder and robbing screens. I have learned that I need to make them up with a fairly strong population so they can defend themselves. Even though I sell some queens, I don't have a production schedule like you and other queen producers, so my queens sometimes stay in the nuc for a month. Later in the season they stay in and become my overwintered nucs.

Richard

[canoemaker]

I use half-sized frames in 3, 4, and 5-frame boxes. I also use the Mann Lake double styrofoam mating boxes as well as some home made quad mating nucs( similar to Michael Palmer's). I let my strong hives draw out the foundation and put some brood in them before I put them in the mating nucs. That cuts down on the absconding tremendously. I keep the queens until they have capped brood so I can make sure they are not drone layers. After I pull a queen and add a new cell, if they are over crowded (or it is imminent), I take a frame or two to either start another mating nuc or bolster a weak one. When I'm done with queens for the year, I'll put all the frames on top of single story hives.