[EvaST-B]

I opened my strongest hive and found so many queen cells that I made 3 nucs with frames full of bees from the mother hive. Worried that the bees would all return to the original hive, I took the nucs a couple of miles away to a friend's house. In the long run, I want them back in my field. How long would you folks leave them in foster care before returning them to the original site?
Thanks for any ideas

 

[GLOCK]

I move my nucs 50 yards from it's mother hive and never have problems . I think the 2 mile thing is bunk but that's just me.

 

[Wolfer]

I set mine right beside the mother hive but I make sure the nuc gets a frame of emerging brood. The flying bees may return to the old hive but the bees that hatch out there call it home.

To answer your question. If your nucs had field bees they'll all be dead in three or four weeks at the most.
I suspect a week would be long enough.
Woody Roberts

 

[burns375]

Where do you want the queens to mate? I just did similar, split out the queens and also swarm cells and moved about 8 miles to my house. The queen-right nucs are no problem, but i am wondering similar if the flyers will return to the mother hive now queenless before mating. I am leaning towards no.

I move my nucs 50 yards from it's mother hive and never have problems . I think the 2 mile thing is bunk but that's just me.

Really? I always lose flyers.

 

[CtyAcres]

EvaST- 2 Days.