[kevintasley]

Hi, Question regarding nuc installation.

I will be picking up some nucs at 7:30pm. I will be picking them up 1 hour from the beeyard and can be to the beeyard ~8:30-9pm (given time for pickup etc)

I know evening is a great time to transfer nucs, so they are more inclined to settle for the night. Is 9-30pm installation too late at night? Pros cons?

My other option would be to take the nucs to the beeyard, place them in their general location, unscreen them, let them do their thing and wait until the next evening to install in 10 frame hives. This would also give the ladies time to settle after the drive?

I would love any and all thoughts, pls and ty,

Kevin

 

[Hogback Honey]

I picked up a nuc about 7:30 - 8:00P.M. a few weeks ago. When I got home I set the nuc on top of the hive I was going to put them in, I left the entrance plugged.

I got up early the next morning, daybreak or so, and transferred them into my 10 frame. I shook out as many bees as I could from the cardboard nuc box, then left the box on the ground IFO the hive, lots of nooks and crannies in those cardboard nucs for bees to hide. Worked like a charm.

 

[kevintasley]

Thanks Hogback, This sounds like what I might do.

I was concerned about transferring them in the morning as I felt like that gave them the whole day to decide to go look for a different home of their choosing. Is this crazy?

I would love some more thoughts to back up this discussion. Thanks

 

[Ravenseye]

I wouldn't be messing with frames of bees at dusk. Dropping them of and coming back another time when it's light out would be the better alternative. Bees at dusk (or at night) are just no fun at all.

 

[Hogback Honey]

Make the hive you will put them in more likeable. I "painted" the inside of my boxes with some bees wax, and when you install them, spray some 1:1 syrup on the empty frames, that is if they have foundation on them. And provide them with a feeder. They'll stay. Don't bug them for awhile, let them get settled in.

 

[Beeonefarms]

They will not be doing a lot of flying but they will go ninja crawl style and you wont get the warning bump.. Be swift about it and let us know what you ended up doing if you do .( go night install)

 

[larrybeach]

I have never had a problem installing a nuc in the evening, but never done it after dark. There was 1 time when I could not pick up a nuc till it was close to dark, I knew after the 45 minute drive back to my beeyard it would be too late, for me anyway. So I talked to the guy selling me the nuc, and it was no problem for me to take my hive body and frames with me. We installed the nuc at his yard. I closed off the entrance with screen wire. Too small for the bees to escape, but let fresh air in. I put the hive in the back of my suv, and turned the air on. Then just set the hive in place when I got to my beeyard, and removed the screen. No problem at all.
I almost forgot, I would use a rachet style strap around your hive when you are moving them. You do not want a hive coming apart during transport.

 

[MTN-Bees]

I don't like dealing with bees in the dark. When I move my hives I usually ratchet strap them and close them up before dark and move them in the morning at 1st light. I installed a nuc last weekend early in the morning and it went very well. The morning was cool and the bees were not very active yet. I reduced the entrance and put them in the hive.Within an hour they were doing orientation flights and were very active. I do spray a little sugar syrup with ML Pro Health before installing bees, don't know if that helps or not.

 

[Andrew Dewey]

Very typical in this area is to put the nuc on top of the hive they will be placed in and let them fly for a few days. This is presuming the nuc can take this and is not almost out of food or bursting at the seams population wise - in other words no contra-indications.

 

[sqkcrk]

I would transport them in the evening, set them where you want them to end up, and transfer the nucs into the ten frame boxes thge next day in the daylight. Trying to transfer them in the dark, especially after riding in your truck, will not be a good experience for you.

 

[Santa Caras]

Wait till the next day to transfer. I left them closed up overnite and early the nxt morning I opened it up and left them alone for a few days till the weekend when i had a chance to put em in my brood box. . This gave them a chance to settle down from the 3 hours of road travel they had done. (nuc seller was on road for 2 hrs and i had em in my truck for 1 hr) they were pretty "buzzy" when I put them in my yard that night when I got home. the next morning you could barely hear them and I opened them up and they spent a few days exploring the area before I transffered them. As for the OLD nuc box goes.....once you transfer and shake out the few remaining bees......take that box elsewhere far away. It will still smell like their hive to them and they'll get confused on where to go and they'll wanna keep hanging around that nuc box instead of flying into the new brood box.