bees on 2 and 3 frames for wintering

[haily]

2 stages; newspaper only lasts 24 hours. If you do go that route you'll have some frame shuffling to do but you have a bit of time: if you emerge even eggs above a QE you are still inside September.

I will do my first unite at some point today. One thing though, should I feed with a 1:1 for awhile then onto a 2:1 or just go in at a 2:1 now.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

So you are aiming at one colony to overwinter, based around your strongest Q. 1:1 will TEND to simulate a flow and trigger brooding, maybe even comb building. 2:1 will TEND to be stored. But there is a pov, especially latish like now, that 1:1 is a waste of time as bees can almost always get water. So think what you are trying to do in each colony and feed accordingly (if at all; keep space to lay etc). Based on what little I know, I would TEND to suspect that 2:1 is better now.

 

[user 6228]

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If you have in a nuc 3 frames brood, the colony will bees 3 frames for winter.
Its life is very difficult in next spring.

If you join those 2 and 3 brood frames, you get a minimum size hive for Winter.
That size of 5 frame colony needs 10-12 kg Sugar for Winter.

Not all if you go for tree warm levels of insulation, we have had a number of even smaller colonies do very well, and not need anything like that amount of sugar until spring...( less than 3kg). It goes against conventional wisdom but the levels of insulation are not conventional.

 

[Finman]

Not all if you go for tree warm levels of insulation, we have had a number of even smaller colonies do very well, and not need anything like that amount of sugar until spring...( less than 3kg). It goes against conventional wisdom but the levels of insulation are not conventional.

Conventional wisdom, like get a life!
I have wintered even one frame bees in -20C Winter, With 3W terrarium heater.

That is not a question at all. The start of colony is so difficult that it is not worth to do.
Nothing to learn in these.
why to you encourage the beginner do stupid things?
No one, who has experience, doest not over Winter 2 frames colonies. I is just stupid.
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A beginner has better to learn than extremes.

And Sugar consumption.... 3 kg is £ 1.5 and 5 kg cost is £ 2. Nonsense.

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[Thymallus]

It depends on the circumstances. I'm taking three or four small nucs (hopefully) through the winter in poly nuc boxes. NOT because I want colonies or honey from them next year but because I want spare queens around next spring in case my honey producing colony queens end up dying/drone laying etc over the winter. In which case I have instant replacements at hand at a time when commercial overwintered queens are very expensive or not available.
Taking small nucs through winter with no definitive purpose in mind is not a good option.

 

[Finman]

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Even if you have a spare Queen, it makes no sense to keep them in the smallest colonies. IT is better then to buy foreign Queens in spring.

What I learned when I kept 4 frame nucs over Winter: Stupid game and I try to rear all nucs to occupye the whole box.

In spring I must steal brood frames from big hives to small hives that they start to build up normally.

I hunt honey and really big hives. I am not interested how small colony can be.

Insulation issue gives to me nothing. If I need more heat, I put terrarium heaters onto floors.I have seen how they work.

 

[Thymallus]

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Even if you have a spare Queen, it makes no sense to keep them in the smallest colonies. IT is better then to buy foreign Queens in spring.

I don't know of many suppliers of queens in early March, New Zealand excepted. I prefer to keep one or three in nucs (not small 1 or 2 frame ones, but 6 frame bulging with bees ones if possible), as a backup for any failing queens in the larger colonies.

 

[Finman]

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My mentor said to me 50 years ago, that 20% spare hives is proper. And so it has proved to be a good amount.

When a colony is X size in autumn, no one knows how big it is in spring. I have enough small colonies on spring. I do not need to make them on purpose..