Mating nucs

[Ian123]

Anyone seen any at a decent price, I like the kieller type or even these warnhloz
https://www.thorne.co.uk/queen/mating-hives?product_id=4407
Just want a decent price as am after a couple of dozen. Any other suggestions welcome

 

[Goran]

Anyone seen any at a decent price, I like the kieller type or even these warnhloz
https://www.thorne.co.uk/queen/mating-hives?product_id=4407
Just want a decent price as am after a couple of dozen. Any other suggestions welcome

I saw on ebay/ aliexpress such styro mnucs for less than 10GBP a piece..chinese made..

I just made for myself 20-something mnucs with old hand electric saw of plywood pallets.. Still never filled them all due other various reasons/jobs/obligations..
Mine a quarter of lang size.. Frames - I got and bought some, but also easily can be zig zag cut in half.
On links below are older pics of my mnucs.. I always start mnucs with qcell, don't have problems with absconding..

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/album.php?albumid=523&pictureid=2813

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/album.php?albumid=523&pictureid=2918

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/album.php?albumid=523&pictureid=2820

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/album.php?albumid=523&pictureid=2920

 

[madasafish]

I am using these:https://bee-equipment.co.uk/products/mini-mating-nuc-with-frames

but bought at sale under £7 each.
Also on ebay.

Also Apideas, Kielers/Rainbow/home made..A motley collection. They all work..

 

[Ian123]

Hi guys and thks, Goran your nucs look great have toyed with a few bits and even poly fish boxes but running out of time atm. I like the slightly larger type as they are more sustainable once up and running also the ability to remove the feeder and create space for a couple more frames. I have a thornes rainbow nuc i picked up when in the shop the other day, i chucked a virgin and some bees in last week they are only £10.00 i will look around or see if any options crop up...Thks Ian

 

[birdsandbees]

I use Swi-Bine Mini Nucs which are great but as has been said are a bit too compact really, I'm kind of stuck with them now as I have quite a few but when they were less than a tenner each I can't really complain.

I have tried making some from softer EPS sheets myself but they do get chewed and are more prone to damage.

if I could afford it I'd probably go for BS Honeybees divisible Nucs or full six frame ones as they give far greater versatility and options.

 

[madasafish]

I use Swi-Bine Mini Nucs which are great but as has been said are a bit too compact really, I'm kind of stuck with them now as I have quite a few but when they were less than a tenner each I can't really complain.

I have tried making some from softer EPS sheets myself but they do get chewed and are more prone to damage.

if I could afford it I'd probably go for BS Honeybees divisible Nucs or full six frame ones as they give far greater versatility and options.

I use the mini nuc frames from B Equipment..
https://bee-equipment.co.uk/products/frame-for-double-mating-nuc-flat

which look like Goran's frames.. My DIY boxes use them - they are made of celotex or OSB3 board. If colonies do get too large in a celotex one, bees will chew holes (as above)- but easily filled when empty (I use Tetrion). Gave up OSB - too heavy,

I have overwintered in 5 fame mini nucs using celotex - easy but you need to feed fondant every month in winter...which poses a few weather/access issues easily solved using top feeders with the access hole over the centre frames.. or using a peelable clear plastic cover over the food only - so you don't disturb the bees ..(The latter is preferable in cold winters )


The 5 frame ones are large enough to raise a reasonable Q after being dequeened if the they have to feed only 1 QC

I now make my own frames using Beesy connectors and plywood.

 

[Goran]

I use the mini nuc frames from B Equipment..
https://bee-equipment.co.uk/products/frame-for-double-mating-nuc-flat

which look like Goran's frames.. My DIY boxes use them - they are made of celotex or OSB3 board. If colonies do get too large in a celotex one, bees will chew holes (as above)- but easily filled when empty (I use Tetrion). Gave up OSB - too heavy,

I have overwintered in 5 fame mini nucs using celotex - easy but you need to feed fondant every month in winter...which poses a few weather/access issues easily solved using top feeders with the access hole over the centre frames.. or using a peelable clear plastic cover over the food only - so you don't disturb the bees ..(The latter is preferable in cold winters )


The 5 frame ones are large enough to raise a reasonable Q after being dequeened if the they have to feed only 1 QC

I now make my own frames using Beesy connectors and plywood.

Over here.. when overwintering such mininucs, some use 2 mininucs as one mini colony and put normal size lang frame full with stores through both boxes. That way bees are always in contact with food. So far I didn't overwinter bees in mininucs.. No need for it..yet..

 

[Haughton Honey]

Full-sized, six frame Commercial poly nucs for me with regards to Q rearing. I’ve given up using mini nucs a long while ago.

What’s the point in making life difficult for yourself?

I think B+ also has an opinion on this (or was it MasterBK or OxfordBee....can’t remember)?

 

[Poly Hive]

What's so difficult about minis?

PH

 

[Hivemaker.]

What's so difficult about minis?

Nothing, use around 500+ of them, low on resources, high on return, they make life easy.

 

[Haughton Honey]

What's so difficult about minis?

PH

I’m not one to knock anyone’s ‘system’ Poly but, for me at least, standardisation of frame sizes and kit is key. It makes things a bit more fluid. I don’t really like to add more links to the chain and make matters more fiddly than they need to be.

For me - and I say this again personally - bigger means better results. Fast mating is all very well and good but if there’s no space for her to lay then what’s the point?

Personally (yawn, I know) I feel that Q’s mated in a mini are of a lesser quality than those that aren’t. Think supercedure further down the line.

 

[mbc]

Personally (yawn, I know) I feel that Q’s mated in a mini are of a lesser quality than those that aren’t. Think supercedure further down the line.

I agree, not that every queen from a mini nuc is inferior but that a higher percentage turn out duff earlier than queens mated from larger units with more balanced bee populations.

 

[B+.]

I agree, not that every queen from a mini nuc is inferior but that a higher percentage turn out duff earlier than queens mated from larger units with more balanced bee populations.

Absolutely right!
In naturally mated queens, the queen is pursued around inside the hive to remove the "mating sign" from the last drone she mated with. This movement helps in the migration of sperm into the spermatheca. So, its a good thing to have larger nucs with more bees - the queen will last longer and be more productive as she has more sperm to fertilize eggs.
Smaller nuce are more economical but bigger nucs produce better queens

 

[masterBK]

and all this has been scientifically tested and proved to be significally the case using decent stats tests or is it just heresay or wishfull thinking .

I only rear about 30 to 40 queens per year with about half mated in Apideas and the others mated from standard frame nuclei (a mixtjure of 3,5 and 6 framers) or from demaree tops above split boards holding 10 to 11 DN4 frames). I have 60 years experience using standard frame nuclei but have only been using Apidea for the last decade or so but have noticed no obvious differences in the performance of the queens apart from the fact that by using less bees to set up the Apidea I don't impact on the productivity of the colonies providing them.

Also how do you get your AI queens chased about to achieve this beneficial sperm migration

 

[SDM]

And does any of that matter a Damn in queens that will never serve more than 2 years?

 

[madasafish]

I raise queens in a mix of mini nucs and home made ones approx 3 times the size (for ease of overwintering).. I can't say I have seen any measurable difference but then my statistics - about 15-25 queens a year - are too small I suspect for any analysis to be valid..

With 8 hives, I don't have enough bees to raise 15-25 queens in 5 frame nucs..or even 3 frame nucs.. and I have no intention of making the numbers required..(buying would be uneconomic)

 

[Hivemaker.]

With 8 hives, I don't have enough bees to raise 15-25 queens in 5 frame nucs..or even 3 frame nucs.. and I have no intention of making the numbers required..(buying would be uneconomic)

I really wouldn't like running 500 or a 1000 six frame commercial nucs just for mating virgin queens from, quite a chore catching up 70 or 80 queens of a morning from them, then the prep work for the next round of cells.

 

[Beefriendly]

and all this has been scientifically tested and proved to be significally the case using decent stats tests or is it just heresay or wishfull thinking .

Errr yes...although I don't have the paper to hand. Essentially queens in small mating boxes take on board less sperm than those in larger nucs who take on less sperm than those in full hives. Cavity space being the major factor...Given the huge amount of drone sperm inseminated by a single drone this seemed strange but the science seemed sound. I'll post a link when I come across it.

 

[Beefriendly]

And does any of that matter a Damn in queens that will never serve more than 2 years?

And that is an excellent point.

 

[Finman]

I like to use 3 frame langstroth frames in mating nucs. I split poly box with table saw. Floor is ply and roof is piece of polystyrene board.

I take the nuc bees from the hive which reared the queens.

The queen can lay the rest of summer in the nuc. I can take frame off or add it.
I can join the nucs when I take one queen off.

This is very flexible system for me to work. I do not know about their sperma.
The queens are not equally good layers or maximum layers or maximum good.
I see it next summer.

Pastures rules in good yields.

I have bought "super queens" , but they have not been better than I already have. There are a big variation in queens. They are not all super.
.