Keep in nuc hive or move to dummied out national

[Ats]

Hi
I’m a beginner, first winter (East Anglia) and (alongside a couple of other healthy colonies) have a wooden 6-frame nuc hive with a young 2023 queen. There are a good number of bees and the frames are fairly full of stores but I was planning on feeding fondant overwinter anyway.
I was thinking of transferring them into a full wooden national hive, dummied down to same 6 frames and using raw sheep’s wool insulation on either side of dummy boards to improve heat retention and make it easier to feed.
Would this work and should I do this or just leave in the nuc box particularly as it’s getting very late in the year.
Many thanks,
Adam

 

[Erichalfbee]

I would leave them where they are. You can feed a nuc easily enough …. But only if they need it.
Put some insulation in the roof.

 

[drex]

I over wintered home made wooden ( ply) nucs successfully in East anglia. 2 inches of Kingspan in roof. I put them together in one block, so might be an idea to put a bit of insulation on sides as well, depending on thickness of wood

 

[Ats]

Many thanks to you both- will do that!
BW
Adam

 

[ericbeaumont]

I was thinking of transferring them into a full wooden national hive

Wait until they expand next spring. Trick is to contract and expand a hive in line with nest contraction and expansion, so you'd be out of sync with the bees & the season.

 

[Little_bees]

My nucs are poly with just one wooden one. I fix kingspan to cover the sides of the wood one in winter with a deep slab in an eke on top.
I cover all my hives with black plastic in winter as woodpecker protection so don't need to worry about painting the kingspan round the sides.