I have a nuc that was given to me to me by another beekeeper with 5 drawn frames. I am getting a package and was wondering if I should start them in this Nuc or take those five frames and put them in my new hive and start them that way?
Nuc or Hive for start?
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Either will work fine, but I find they get a booming start in a nuc. Just be sure to move them into the hive in at least four weeks or they will swarm.
like michael said make sure to move them to a hive body or two mediums with in four weeks or they will swarm out of a nuc.The nuc will help them to build up faster and get a jump start because the smaller amount of space is easier to keep the brood warm in.
The breed doesn't matter that much. The package will try to raise brood regardless of the race. The brood cycle is three weeks, so a little over three weeks (if they had drawn comb) the new bees will start emerging. In four weeks you'll have to move them or they will swarm. If that's too much trouble, then just put them in the bigger box to start with. They will do ok either way, they just start faster in the nuc.
I think I will start them in the NUC as I also have a hivetop feeder also. Would it be a good idea to put the shallow nuc on it that I have with undrawn frames to let them start drawing out some shallow for me or build another deep and put it on and let them draw those five out and then transfer all the frames to a regular hive when they draw it all out?
>I think I will start them in the NUC as I also have a hivetop feeder also. Would it be a good idea to put the shallow nuc on it that I have with undrawn frames to let them start drawing out some shallow for me or build another deep and put it on and let them draw those five out and then transfer all the frames to a regular hive when they draw it all out?
You have a shallow nuc? I assume the nuc is deeps and your brood chambers are deeps. If so, I'd put the deep on when the fill the 5 frame or just move them to a 10 frame box. Either one is the same amount of space to heat. Let them get a good brood nest going first. Then worry about the supers.
You have a shallow nuc? I assume the nuc is deeps and your brood chambers are deeps. If so, I'd put the deep on when the fill the 5 frame or just move them to a 10 frame box. Either one is the same amount of space to heat. Let them get a good brood nest going first. Then worry about the supers.
Yep I have a shallow nuc. I got it from Rossman's with 5 empty plastic frames. I then made a deep nuc and got 5 frames of comb from a beekeeper here in Lyndon. I was trying to keep some bees that were in a stump fed through winter (didn't work, it was a september swarm) Anyway I have a top feeder for the nuc and thought that since I had 5 deep drawn frames I would use that. My other problem is how am I going to get the "bee pro" pattie in there. Should I take a frame or two and mush it it the cells. One frame has honey (granulated) and there are 3 empty frames and one partial with honey. I want them to get a good start.
[This message has been edited by Flewster (edited April 12, 2004).]
[This message has been edited by Flewster (edited April 12, 2004).]
I wouldn't feed pollen substitute this late. I got some Bee Pro patties free as a door prize and put it in a month ago and the bees ignored it anyway. But by now they are getting REAL pollen from trees and such. Real pollen is vastly superior to pollen substitute. No pollen shortage this time of year here or in KS. They will get a better start gathering real pollen than the Bee Pro anyway, especially since the real pollen is available now. I wouldn't even feed them REAL pollen now becuase what's on the trees is fresher anyway.
I don't think you would succeed in mushing it into the cells anyway.
I don't think you would succeed in mushing it into the cells anyway.
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Ask ten beekeepers and get twelve different answers.
Todays high temperature was 46 and windy making the wind chill feel even colder. My bees were not ventuering out much at all. The swarms were taking a peek out the opening and going right back inside. This cold snap and rain has lasted four days now. It has been down in the lower thirtys every night for five nights now and we are just now getting into a warming trend starting tomorrow.
All that pollen on the trees was not doing them any good. Luckily they have had stores in the established hives and pollen patties and syrup in the new hives. The bees are busy all night when they can not fly, and having something to work with is a real benefit. Mine, unlike MB's bees, take and use the patties I install, they will eventully quit taking them, but they are there for them if needed.
Patties are installed over the brood laying on the topbars. The older ones that were sandwiched in wax paper needed slits cut into the paper. The newer packaging has a pull tab to expose the pollen. You just lay it above the brood area.
Todays high temperature was 46 and windy making the wind chill feel even colder. My bees were not ventuering out much at all. The swarms were taking a peek out the opening and going right back inside. This cold snap and rain has lasted four days now. It has been down in the lower thirtys every night for five nights now and we are just now getting into a warming trend starting tomorrow.
All that pollen on the trees was not doing them any good. Luckily they have had stores in the established hives and pollen patties and syrup in the new hives. The bees are busy all night when they can not fly, and having something to work with is a real benefit. Mine, unlike MB's bees, take and use the patties I install, they will eventully quit taking them, but they are there for them if needed.
Patties are installed over the brood laying on the topbars. The older ones that were sandwiched in wax paper needed slits cut into the paper. The newer packaging has a pull tab to expose the pollen. You just lay it above the brood area.
Thanks Bill and Michael. Now for another question. I am getting a hive of Itilians on thursday from CJC bees in Arkansa. (Good price $100 for new hive nad bees) Anyway next thursday my carniolan arrive from California and those I am going to install in the Nuc for a fast start. Sometime this summer I would like to take a frame from the Itilians and Carniolians and start another hive and let them raise their own queen. (or buy a new queen) Total we will have 4 hives as my father in law is getting two also. I am not concerned with honey this year but would like to increase in that manner. Will it work? And how many times can I take a frame of brood from each hive and not really hurt them to make these increases? I will start each increase in the Nuc.
>I would like to take a frame from the Itilians and Carniolians and start another hive and let them raise their own queen. (or buy a new queen) Total we will have 4 hives as my father in law is getting two also. I am not concerned with honey this year but would like to increase in that manner. Will it work?
Sure. I would take a frame of open brood (with eggs to raise a queen from) and two frames of emerging brood or just capped brood and two frames of honey and pollen and put them in the nuc. Come back in four days and destroy any CAPPED queen cells because they were more than three days from being layed when they decided to make them into queens, so they are underfed. Leave the open ones.
>And how many times can I take a frame of brood from each hive and not really hurt them to make these increases? I will start each increase in the Nuc.
Evey hive is an individual. The difference between a poor hive, a mediocore hive, a good hive, and a booming hive are geometric in proportion. A booming hive you might be able to take a frame of brood a day and it not slow them down much. For a poor hive, one frame all year may be a setback that will take them weeks to recover from.
Those two are extrememes, but both are common enough that I can't say how often you can do it. But as long as the hive as a deep and a half full of brood (or two mediums) they won't miss a frame of brood for very long.
As long as there is a full deep or a medium and a half they will be able to recover quickly enough.
Does that help?
Sure. I would take a frame of open brood (with eggs to raise a queen from) and two frames of emerging brood or just capped brood and two frames of honey and pollen and put them in the nuc. Come back in four days and destroy any CAPPED queen cells because they were more than three days from being layed when they decided to make them into queens, so they are underfed. Leave the open ones.
>And how many times can I take a frame of brood from each hive and not really hurt them to make these increases? I will start each increase in the Nuc.
Evey hive is an individual. The difference between a poor hive, a mediocore hive, a good hive, and a booming hive are geometric in proportion. A booming hive you might be able to take a frame of brood a day and it not slow them down much. For a poor hive, one frame all year may be a setback that will take them weeks to recover from.
Those two are extrememes, but both are common enough that I can't say how often you can do it. But as long as the hive as a deep and a half full of brood (or two mediums) they won't miss a frame of brood for very long.
As long as there is a full deep or a medium and a half they will be able to recover quickly enough.
Does that help?
When I install them in a Nuc is there any difference than I have read about for a regular hive? Do I still leave a frame out for the queen cage. My bees are being shipped overnight UPS and they said to leave them together for one more day and then install them. Can I directly release the queen after insalled or should I keep her caged and release her a couple of days later?
Thank you for all the help.
[This message has been edited by Flewster (edited April 13, 2004).]
Thank you for all the help.
[This message has been edited by Flewster (edited April 13, 2004).]
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> they said to leave them together for one more day and then install them.
They said that because they are shaking the bees into the cage just prior to shipping. They probably wanted to insure that the bees get used to the queen before you release her. They do not know how you are going to do it so they want you to have a little insurance by telling you to wait.
I would follow their instructions so if you have a problem you can state that you did. I would also pull the plug and make a small hole in the candy and let the bees release the queen in a couple more days. The extra days will not matter that much in the grand scheam of things.
They said that because they are shaking the bees into the cage just prior to shipping. They probably wanted to insure that the bees get used to the queen before you release her. They do not know how you are going to do it so they want you to have a little insurance by telling you to wait.
I would follow their instructions so if you have a problem you can state that you did. I would also pull the plug and make a small hole in the candy and let the bees release the queen in a couple more days. The extra days will not matter that much in the grand scheam of things.
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>Do I still leave a frame out for the queen cage
You should be able to crowd the frames enough to get the cage inbetween them. One handy thing to do is staple a wire to the end of the cage that you intend to open, the candy end, which should be up. It is very handy to have a wire attached to hang the cage with on a frame with foundation only. If it is drawn, you can just mush it into the wax, but it is still nice to have a hangar.
You should be able to crowd the frames enough to get the cage inbetween them. One handy thing to do is staple a wire to the end of the cage that you intend to open, the candy end, which should be up. It is very handy to have a wire attached to hang the cage with on a frame with foundation only. If it is drawn, you can just mush it into the wax, but it is still nice to have a hangar.
I made a shim for my nuc. Actually severa for sevearl nucs. Some are just a one by board or a 3/4" scrap of plywood cut to the size of the nuc with a hole cut in the center (sort of like a thick inner cover). Some are a 3/4" by 3/4" board cut to make a frame. Either way I use it for queen introductions in my nucs. You can cut the hole just a little bigger than a queen cage of you like, but it will need to be off center (for a five frame nuc) because there is a frame in the center, so go just to one side so you can put a queen cage face down on the top bars with the screen exposed to the hive (down and centered between two bars). This makes an easy introduction for a nuc and you don't have to pull out a frame.
Just cut it so the cage will be centered between two frames (to one side on a 5 frame nuc) and be generous. Better too big than too small. 1 1/4" by 3 1/4" should be plenty large for any cage but only if you know how it will line up on the frames. Bigger won't hurt. In fact if you cut it 3" wide and 13 inches long right in the center you can use it for a queen bank and put as many as eight queens on top of the nuc. or 6" wide and put 16 queens on top of the nuc.
Depends on what your future plans for it are.
Depends on what your future plans for it are.
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