[BeeCurious]

I'm going to be making up two nucs with brood frames over queen excluders. If I place the box with shaken-off brood frames on top of two supers, will they be too far from the brood nest to attract nurse bees?

How about between the supers?

I thought the brood above the supers might help to draw more bees into the supers...

Any suggestions?

 

[Ben Brewcat]

I'm sure they would still attract nurse bees, but they'll for sure start queen cells. Do you mean this'll be on top of honey supers? Are you just trying to get bees to start drawing out foundation in honey supers, or are you trying to rear queens? Your goal will help guide your practices.

 

[BeeCurious]

I'm sure they would still attract nurse bees, but they'll for sure start queen cells. Do you mean this'll be on top of honey supers? Are you just trying to get bees to start drawing out foundation in honey supers, or are you trying to rear queens? Your goal will help guide your practices.

I have two queens coming next week...

I have two honey supers on that are just starting to be capped. I wanted to avoid lifting off the supers when I returned to remove the nuc.

I suspected that the nuc would start to raise queen cells if not placed over the brood nest.

I was hoping that there could have been one or two benefits to starting the nuc above the supers, but it doesn't seem to be the case since I'm not looking to raise a new queen.

 

[Beeslave]

Put them right on top of the brood. It isn't that hard to lift off 2 supers.

 

[Countryboy]

I have two queens coming next week...

Then wait until next week to make the nucs.

What are you calling a nuc? A nucleus hive box? You won't put that on top of an excluder or on top of supers. A nuc box has a separate entrance, and won't attract any real numbers of bees. Shaking bees off brood, and placing those frames of brood in a nuc box, and then stacking that nuc box on top of an excluder or on top of supers is just going to end up killing your frames of brood.

Frames of brood aren't a nuc until they are completely removed from the hive and placed into a nuc box, making sure they immediately have adequate numbers of bees to care for the brood.

 

[Beeslave]

Not all nuc boxes have permanent bottoms.

 

[BeeCurious]

Put them right on top of the brood. It isn't that hard to lift off 2 supers.

Yes, that's what I'm going to do.

 

[BeeCurious]

To replace the frames in the brood nests I may not have enough frames of drawn comb. In that case would there be any difference in useing starter strips instead of full or half sheets of foundation?

 

[plaztikjezuz]

Not all nuc boxes have permanent bottoms.

I went to Dadant and picked up a nuc box from them the bottom is removable as is the top. Dadant's even sell a screened bottom board for the nuc.

i ordered a nuc from brushy mountain and it is like a mini hive, box jointed deep, screened bottom board, inner cover, lid has metal cover.

I have read that screened bottom boards are very good for nuc to improve ventilation.

 

[EastSideBuzz]

I have read that screened bottom boards are very good for nuc to improve ventilation.

SBB on a NUC. Did not think that small of a hive it made a difference.

 

[BeeCurious]

To replace the frames in the brood nests I may not have enough frames of drawn comb. In that case would there be any difference in useing starter strips instead of full or half sheets of foundation?

Can we get back to my questions?

 

[Beeslave]

That should work according to the foundationless users. I think you may risk it being drawn into drone come though. Put the foundationless between 2 frames(straight worker comb) brood.