Mini Mating Hives

[nantmoel]

I have cleaned and painted three mini mating hives we had last summer, I removed the old comb from the frames and was wondering what other Beeks do, wether you use starter strips or fill the frame with foundation?

 

[snelgrove]

I use starter strips

 

[Poly Hive]

Starter strips is the normal procedure.

PH

 

[For want of a better word]

Either or....amazing how quickly the bees draw the comb down and fill it with brood!
Last season we were adding an eke to check for drone laying queens... although that did not seem to bee a problem with our super Native Cornish Amms!!!!

Yeghes da

 

[jeff33]

By mini mating hive you mean apidea type? I have never used them myself, have you all had a good success rate using these? I have read in several articles that queens raised from these were not as good quality as those raised in standard size nucs. I am now debating whether to use a queen castle to raise a few queens this year instead of these.

 

[Goran]

By mini mating hive you mean apidea type? I have never used them myself, have you all had a good success rate using these? I have read in several articles that queens raised from these were not as good quality as those raised in standard size nucs. I am now debating whether to use a queen castle to raise a few queens this year instead of these.

I read few researches that minimum acceptable is 3 frames lang deep. That also I read from one long time breeder according to his experience.
I use 5 half frames lang deep ( which is by that recommendation half frame less..), but I believe due to more natural form of cluster is OK. Also when I form it once, I don't have to refresh with adding bees to it in season, it is complete little colony with decent structure. In fact later sometimes I take surplus brood off. Some let it build on 2-3 such boxes and they overwinter such as queen reseerve. So far I don't..

 

[Juhani Lundén]

I have cleaned and painted three mini mating hives we had last summer, I removed the old comb from the frames and was wondering what other Beeks do, wether you use starter strips or fill the frame with foundation?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3QOO7ZEJrI

Just cut the dark part away, (about third or half) bees will fill them up just fine.

 

[bamabeek]

Why remove the old comb? We always leave it. But I don't use the tiny Styrofoam nucs. Half frames are easier to manage and gives her more room to lay.

 

[Juhani Lundén]

Why remove the old comb? .

In Apidea there is no room for fast fill-up will 2,5dl bees if all the old comb is left.

 

[bpmurray]

Use triangular starter strips rather than cut straight across - they seem to be happier with them.

 

[Poly Hive]

There seems to be a misunderstanding going on in this thread.

There are ways of minimising full frames to create nucs hence rightly the three frame comment though I do know a BF who routinely uses one frame but that is skating on thin ice. And there are mini nucs which are tiny units less than half a shoe box in size normally stocked with a mug full of bees and a ripe cell or an emerged virgin.

Mobus literally wrote the book and he used straight strips which have worked for me for many years now. Normally one can expect at lest two queens from a mini and in an exceptional season in good conditions 4 are possible.

PH