Making nucs for increase

[Tdod]

Hi all
been reading up on the internet and on here about making some nucs up to make increases this year, but something has me slightly puzzled and wondered if someone could shed a bit of light..

what I have read is that when the colony makes swarm cells you could take a frame of bias with swarm cells and a frame of stores and make a 2 frame nuc or 3 if you took another stores so say you took 2 frames with swarm cells on and a frame of stores and made 2 x 2 frame nucs and filled the original colony back with foundation would the original colony still try to swarm or would the removal of the frames and adding the foundation stop the swarming instinct?

many thanks

 

[REDWOOD]

Read this
http://www.wbka.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Beekeeping-Making-Increase-WAG.pdf

 

[Roola]

I'm going to have a go at 2 frame nucs this year:

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/twoframenuc.html

I'm going to make 2 nucs, A frame of BIAS (ensuring there are fresh eggs for queen rearing) and a frame of food and brood. Going to do this in Poly boxes for the warmth aspect.

 

[stuart]

Just read through the link thanks.
Quick question, when splitting hives in various ways, why kill off the emergency queen cells in the new colonies?

 

[blackcavebees]

When a colony has the swarming urge it is often hard to get them out of it, even when removing some swarm cells into nucs. That is why some form of artificial swarm is better, either horizontal or vertical.

 

[fiftyjon]

You'll want a queen/cell raised by a large colony not a 2 frame nuc. They will not have the resource to raise a decent queen.
When the colony has open queen cells and as part of your artificial swarm procedure take the frames with cells to make your 2 frame nucs. You will also find it easier if you let colony grow onto double brood first.

 

[clv101]

When a colony has the swarming urge it is often hard to get them out of it, even when removing some swarm cells into nucs. That is why some form of artificial swarm is better, either horizontal or vertical.

Indeed - I think it's better to remove the original queen (plus a frame of stores and frame of BIAS) to a nuc and leave the original colony with a charged queen cell to raise a new queen.

 

[Swarm]

You will forfeit a honey crop using that approach.

You can add donor frames of capped brood from another colony to bolster the nuc.
I split three nucs off a colony last year just be sure to shake in plenty of bees as some will return to the parent hive.

 

[itma]

You'll want a queen/cell raised by a large colony not a 2 frame nuc. They will not have the resource to raise a decent queen.
...

As long as the QC is uncapped, it needs lots and lots of bees efforts on protein-rich feeding.
Lots of nurse bees. Lots of pollen stored close by. And plenty foragers too doesn't hurt.

 

[Swarm]

You'll want a queen/cell raised by a large colony not a 2 frame nuc. They will not have the resource to raise a decent queen.
When the colony has open queen cells and as part of your artificial swarm procedure take the frames with cells to make your 2 frame nucs. You will also find it easier if you let colony grow onto double brood first.

Isn't that what the OP mentioned? The colony has brought the cells on, not a two frame nuc given a frame of eggs for emergency queen rearing.

 

[Tdod]

Isn't that what the OP mentioned? The colony has brought the cells on, not a two frame nuc given a frame of eggs for emergency queen rearing.

yes I presumed the colony would raise the queen cells in their atempt at swarming, I am not saying i would use this method I would probably do an AS and make the increase that way, just wondered if it is a viable way and whether making the nuc or nucs would prevent the main colony from swarming...

just wondering how the rest of you would make increases if you wanted to

 

[Swarm]

You may well be able to create two nucs in that way, I've done this on a few occasions and the bees stopped swarm proceedings. No guarantee but just what I've experienced.