[MissouriMule]

I have 3 NUCs I am planning on moving into deeps soon. One is a traditional 5 frame deep style in a double configuration. The other is a Michael Palmer style split deep with individual 4 frame top boxes.

What would be the best way to arrange the frames in the new boxes? All three are doing great and considering the flow is coming soon and they are already drawn out it would seem like adding a deep on top o each would make sense.

So do I maintain the brood frames as they sit in the NUCs top to bottom or place then all in the bottom box? How about the stores and extra drawn frames and or foundation?

 

[Vance G]

I may be confused but I think you are describing the types of nucs you are transferring bees out of IN TO standard deep equipment. Put your frames in the deeps exactly as you pulled them out of the nucs including direction to the entrance and center them in the new box. Fill in on both sides with comb if you have it and foundation if you do not.

I would not immediately put another box on. The four frame nuc needs to more than double in size before it fills the regular box. When they are actively working on frames 2 and 8 move 1 and 10 inside if they are foundation as it is important to get the bees to draw out the comb all the way to the sides. Then you should put another box on and pull a middle brood frame and move it to the top box and the foundation frame down to the center of the lower box, THis will get the bees working in the second box as sometimes bees will swarm rather than make the crossing to an empty box of foundation.

Hope that was what you wanted to know. Good luck.

 

[MissouriMule]

Wasn't clear in my description. The split deep has four frames on each side of the divider, on top of each split side sits a 4 frame deep NUC. So its basically a double deep 4 frame NUC that the bottom boxes are shared in one split box.

So the 4 frame boxes would actually bee 8 frames, which when you consider people tell you to add a box when the bottom deep is 70-80% drawn or filled out would be about there. Except that the 80% is measured vertically not horizontally, 4 over 4 instead of a single deep with 8 out of 10 frames drawn.

 

[Vance G]

That was not apparent to me but I considered it was possible. Then put the innermost frame in the nuc in the middle of the box and keep them in order that direction out. Take the most brood filled frame from the upper box and put it beside the bottom center one and on out. That is your best shot of giving them an intact broodnest. I would still move any undrawn frames in one place on each side so all frames get at least started before putting on a second box. Only takes a few days. If they don't start on them, they really don't need the room quite yet. As soon as they start working them, put on the second box.