14x12 nucs or Standard nucs.

[banwee40]

I was thinking of switching over to 14x12 national Hives but was wondering how popular or easy to sell are 14x12 nucs compared to standard national nucs ?

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

14x12 and even double them up on strong hives.
Don't know about selling them, I just sell the honey!

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[REDWOOD]

There are quite a few new beekeeper that would love to get their hands on them


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[BeeJayBee]

I think you'd sell them quite easily, but would depend on how many you plan to produce.

Some suppliers in this area only do standard National or Langstroth, probably because it's easy enough to use those frames in the deeper hives with the same size topbars. None round here sell nucs on commercial frames.

It might be easy enough for an experienced beekeeper, but new beekeepers find it hard to deal with the comb hanging from the bottom of the national frames in a 14x12. So beginners would welcome the right sized frames.

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

We don't have any problems with comb under the frames, but then we still us solid hive floors. With bees it's all about the space you give them, to much and they fill it with comb..
It's what they do..

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[Bee-Key-Pur]

Do you remember those old books that bee keepers before us wrote a few books about their study of bee behaviour, some wrote books about the subject. The weird thing is that all these years later, bees still have the same behaviour..

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[Zante]

I can tell you I'll be looking for a 14x12 nuc when I get started...

 

[Pete D]

I was thinking of switching over to 14x12 national Hives but was wondering how popular or easy to sell are 14x12 nucs compared to standard national nucs ?

I sell about 3 stds to every 1 14x12, guess it depend on your area, what people get shown when starting and how / where you advertise.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

With national deeps, if someone has a 14x12, the frames will still fit - it's only a matter of coping with a bit of brace comb below the bottom bars (no big deal) if you have a 14x12 nuc it's a bit harder to hack five and a half inches off the bottom to make them fit a deep.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I was thinking of switching over to 14x12 national Hives but was wondering how popular or easy to sell are 14x12 nucs compared to standard national nucs ?

I started out with a 14 x 12 nuc. Quickly made an eke to convert my standard brood box in waiting to hold the frames and I haven't looked back.
If you have bees for sale someone will buy them.

 

[banwee40]

Thanks for all the feedback will probably switch to 14x12 when I get a chance to make the ekes. I just didn't want to mess about changing over only to find I can't sell the nucs, not looking to make many somewhere in the region of 10 - 15 through the season. Thanks again.

 

[misterbee82]

I don't have experience with national hives, but wouldn't the 14×12 be larger frames and therefore produce more room for brood or honey production? and because of that be more desirable then smaller frames?

 

[Zante]

I don't have experience with national hives, but wouldn't the 14×12 be larger frames and therefore produce more room for brood or honey production? and because of that be more desirable then smaller frames?

It depends how widespread the larger brood boxes are.
Even now that I have just started I know plenty of people who have the normal deep boxes, more than those who have the 14x12.

 

[Queen Brenda]

We've just converted from national deeps to 14x12 and have woken up to the fact that when we need to do an AS we won't fit the 14x12 frames into the polynuc we have. Off to buy a polynuc eke, more frames and foundation tomorrow....

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

Soon changed over to 14/12 at the start of my second year std national are just to small and I could not be bothered with two box system. I should in hindsight gone on to jumbo Lang or md as I have to be very careful with brood frames on hot days they will not stand any rough handling there is a lot of weight on the wax even with just brood.

 

[oliver90owner]

JBM has in a nutshell. Frames sizes which (apparently) wont fit all National formats.

Not insurmountable with just a little thought, mind. But expect 14x12 to be rather more expensive as the colony is likely half as big again as aone on deep frames.

The thought, for the non-thinkers might be that of using a shallow box under the deep until the bees can be coaxed off the larger frames (which are then basically scrap for those who have no further use of them).

On further thought, it might be better to go 14 x12 (or deep plus an eke) and stay with 14 x12 frames....

RAB

 

[banwee40]

Hi Rab, I see you have 14x12 hives, when you switched over from standard brood did you place them in 14x12 and switch to the 14x12 frames gradually or did you do a shook swarm changing them over all in one go?

 

[banwee40]

I don't have experience with national hives, but wouldn't the 14×12 be larger frames and therefore produce more room for brood or honey production? and because of that be more desirable then smaller frames?

Yes you are right and that's the thought because at the moment I have most of my stronger hives are on a brood and a half because the standard national is just to small for them at the peak, they also winter better in a bigger box. (that's what I have found)

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

did you do a shook swarm changing them over all in one go?

There's an obsession with shook swarming in this country - totally unneccessary, disruptive to the colony and a waste of good brood - If you have a deep nuc to step up to a 14x12 - just slap it in a 14x12 brood box and live with the little bit of brace comb below the shallower frames until you can work it out. if they are in a full BB - just undertake a Bailey type change.

 

[banwee40]

There's an obsession with shook swarming in this country - totally unneccessary, disruptive to the colony and a waste of good brood - If you have a deep brood to step up to a 14x12 - just slap it in a 14x12 brood box and live with the little bit of brace comb below the shallower frames until you can work it out. if they are in a full BB - just undertake a Bailey type change.

I was only asking how he had done his change over, it doesn't mean I was going to do the same. I have never done a shook swarm so was just enquiring.