I learned the hard way to always give a nuc a robbing screen to keep the bullies out. But I've started a couple nucs with nothing more than a feeder, pollen patty, and a frame of brood with some space on it and a frame to let them build out. I have also gone to to trouble of digging out honey frames and giving them to the nuc, but I haven't seen a difference in quality, actually. I do leave the nurse bees on and pray I didn't grab the queen too (and look again briefly the next morning too). So IMverylittleE, what you are doing will work.
4 Queens arrived with the pits...now what?
I ordered the Queens...Buckfast ...and expected them to arrive tomorrow. The post was super efficient and hen if got to work yesterday they were humming along on my desk!
My nucs were cut but not assembled
Last night the nucs were assembled. I managed to pull 1 frame of capped honey/nectar and pollen, 1 frame of mainly capped brood with some open larva and 1 frame of a mix of brood and food stoes for each nuc..taken from 3 different hives to mix the bee sources. I sincerely hope no Queens were moved!
I put in 2 frames of undrawn wax foundation and will top feed light sugar syrup.
Will that be enough bee frames for a start or do I need to look around for another drawn frame per nuc? It was getting quite dark by the time I transferred 3 drawn frames into each nuc.
The Queens are in cages that I will put on when I get home from work this evening.
Five days later I will check for the start of Queen cells and ensure the Queens are released. Two weeks later I will check that the new Queens are laying.
Anything else I should/should not be doing?
Thanks
My nucs were cut but not assembled
Last night the nucs were assembled. I managed to pull 1 frame of capped honey/nectar and pollen, 1 frame of mainly capped brood with some open larva and 1 frame of a mix of brood and food stoes for each nuc..taken from 3 different hives to mix the bee sources. I sincerely hope no Queens were moved!
I put in 2 frames of undrawn wax foundation and will top feed light sugar syrup.
Will that be enough bee frames for a start or do I need to look around for another drawn frame per nuc? It was getting quite dark by the time I transferred 3 drawn frames into each nuc.
The Queens are in cages that I will put on when I get home from work this evening.
Five days later I will check for the start of Queen cells and ensure the Queens are released. Two weeks later I will check that the new Queens are laying.
Anything else I should/should not be doing?
Thanks
