Full Nuc?

[Tomo]

Hi, this is probably a daft question. This will be my second year with two commercial BB hives, so am going to give making up a Nuc a try, to keep a spare Queen...just in case. If the Nuc goes very well and is bursting with bees what would be a good course of action? Would you put some spare bees in one or other of the hives? I was wondering that it would be easy to overcrowd? Thanks.

 

[BeeJayBee]

You could, if you want to keep the colony in the nuc and another colony needs a boost, or you could simply transfer to a full sized hive.

 

[pargyle]

If the Nuc is really bursting with bees and they have plenty of stores and brood in there, if you sited it originally next to your other hives, you could move it away and this will bleed off the foragers who would mostly beg their way into the nearest hive to the original nuc site. Reinforcing the foragers in that hive.

The Nuc will then build up again as the brood hatches and the retained nurse bees become foragers ... it has to be a well established nuc, not a small or weak colony to be successful and pick a time when there is plenty of forage available.

Personally, I'd just move them into a full size hive and let them get on with it but, for instance, if you were taking a hive to the heather and wanted a booming colony for that you can have your cake and eat it.

You still end up with a Nuc and a laying queen to build up and overwinter if you wish.

 

[Finman]

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When nuc is bursting out, move it a normal box. Nuc box is warm, and mostly colony builds up fast. Close meshfloor that hive is warm for brooding.

Another way is that you have similar brood box and put it under brood. So colony enlarges downwards. When boath nucs are full, move to normal hive.

Small nucs does not enlarge do fast as you could imagine. The start is small.

If nuc has a good queen, let it grow. But if it grows faster than your normal hives, it tells that your normal hives are too cold to rear large brood area.

 

[Finman]

If the Nuc is really bursting with bees and they have plenty of stores and brood in there, if you sited it originally next to your other hives, you could move it away and this will bleed off the foragers who would mostly beg their way into the nearest hive to the original nuc site. Reinforcing the foragers in that hive.

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That is the way to destroy a healthy nuc. Holy ship. The nuc will loose all its bees and brood will be destroyed.

The nuc will not loose only foragers but nurser bees too. Who carsy pollen to larvae and who feed them and keep brood warm?

 

[Bosleeu]

If the Nuc is really bursting with bees and they have plenty of stores and brood in there, if you sited it originally next to your other hives, you could move it away and this will bleed off the foragers who would mostly beg their way into the nearest hive to the original nuc site. Reinforcing the foragers in that hive.

The Nuc will then build up again as the brood hatches and the retained nurse bees become foragers ... it has to be a well established nuc, not a small or weak colony to be successful and pick a time when there is plenty of forage available.

Personally, I'd just move them into a full size hive and let them get on with it but, for instance, if you were taking a hive to the heather and wanted a booming colony for that you can have your cake and eat it.

You still end up with a Nuc and a laying queen to build up and overwinter if you wish.

I think this is a good plan - if you don't want to expand. Just keep an eye on the store situation and feed if needed. As long as it's a strong Nuc they will be fine.

Don't think a Nuc won't swarm - so if they are building up strongly either hive them or reduce numbers - bleed some flyers off as described be Pargyle or remove some brood to strengthen other colonies. Always within reason of course.

 

[Finman]

I remove some brood to strengthen other colonies. Always within reason of course.

Normally brood are moved from strong hive to weak hive to help over critical border. I do not understand,why to weaken weak hive more. It makes no sense.

It is a big job to rear nuc and to bring it over winter..... And after that, to spoil it. I do not understand. You may even sell it if you do not need it.

 

[Finman]

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Nuc is very necessary every winter as spare hive, but if not needed, sell it.

But it is not summer yet. You do not know in what condition are your queens.
If some hive is very angry, you may shange the queen.

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[Bosleeu]

Normally brood are moved from strong hive to weak hive to help over critical border. I do not understand,why to weaken weak hive more. It makes no sense.

It is a big job to rear nuc and to bring it over winter..... And after that, to spoil it. I do not understand. You may even sell it if you do not need it.

All you say is true but this beekeeper is keeping this Nuc for a specific reason.

Yes an overwintered Nuc is valuable to sell, (you can buy a few queens with the money if you needed one) but the OP does not want that - it says specifically the Nuc is for keeping a spare Queen, nothing about selling or wanting a new full hive. Both those things might be what other beeks will do with a strong Nuc,but maybe they like this queen or does not like the idea of buying queens - we all have our reasons.

If you only have one hive I think it makes sense to have a Nuc handy.

Then the question is what to do with this Nuc if it becomes too strong for the Nuc box. You probably don't want them to swarm, so you have two options, put them in a larger box or reduce the number of bees, as even a Nuc can swarm, which is a different problem altogether.

If all you want to do is keep an extra queen for backup she will be fine in the Nuc, even if you bleed flyers to another hive or remove some brood. Just look after the Nuc until you need the queen. At the end of the season build it up and you can overwinter it again.

 

[Finman]

If all you want to do is keep an extra queen for backup she will be fine in the Nuc, even if you bleed flyers to another hive or remove some brood. Just look after the Nuc until you need the queen. At the end of the season build it up and you can overwinter it again.

Yes but wrong strategy

It makes no sense to keep a nuc as nuc and freeze the build up. I cannot understand why. If you need a queen, you may take it whenever if you need it.

I bet that he gets the hive swarm in a small hive and looses his queen.

It is as stupid like nurse a hive the whole year and then do not extract honey from it.


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