Do you need to move Mating Nucs

[DocMartin]

Although I am a newbee I have seen people putting queen cells in mini poly mating nucs ( those with 3 frames ). I think I understand the principles but after you have made them up ( hopefully with nurse bees ) and kept them in a cool dark place for 24 to 48 hours then do you have to move them to another apiary so the bees will not return to their original hive.

 

[Polymorph]

I dont, but it's easier if you don't have to. If left in the same apiary don't feed with sugar syrup in the beginning as any bees which do go home can start a robbing frenzy. Use spare overwintered food frames or fondant. Lesson learnt. I left mine 72 hrs this year, but times/opinions vary as with all things.

 

[DocMartin]

Noted thanks. There is a good video on Simon the Beekeeper’s site but he moved his. I suppose there will be variable opinions. I look forward to seeing what others think.

 

[TomH]

I received some really good advice on exactly this in the thread here:

2-in-1-mating-nuc

 

[Swarm]

Mine stay in the same apiary, made up with nurse bees (comb above a queen excluder) and then left for about twenty minutes (just in case) before moving to it's final position.

 

[DocMartin]

May be a stupid question from a newbee but how does the QE separate flying bees from the nurse bees

 

[Swarm]

OK, my approach is a three frame nuc made up of a comb of sealed/emerging brood, comb of stores (I try for one with unsealed stores) and a spare comb. Shake the bees off the combs and place them in a spare brood box, replace the queen excluder over the colony after adding replacement frames and put the spare box on top and cover it with the crown board. Twenty minutes or so and they will be populated with nurse bees plus you know the queen is in the hive. I move them to the nuc and leave the top open for a while longer so any possible flying bees leave before their final position.

 

[DocMartin]

Thank you for your explanation