National Nuc into Langstroth Hive

[BlipiBee]

I've had my bees for just over a week now and I'm really happy and proud!

They came in a 5 frame healthy National nuc and I've now transferred them into my Langstroth by cable tying langstroth bars to the top of the nationals so they hang.

Yes I know it is a bit of a messy thing to do but I'm hoping the bees will settle onto the Langstroth frames and eventually remove all National frames.

Has anyone else done this before or have some tips or things I should watch out for? When should I start introducing Langstroth frames into the middle?

Many thanks!

 

[Black Comb]

I did this with 2 hives earlier in the season.
They were full colonies though.
For one I did as you and tied the frames to l/s top bars - put all the national frames of brood and one of food in and then filled up with l/s frames straight away, over a period of weeks moving the nat fames to the outside of the box.

With the 2nd I made a board relevant outer size/ inner size and put a l/s b/b full of foundation on top. When they had drawn and queen was laying in upper box I put on Q/E and 3 or so weeks later I took away the nat box when all the brood in there had hatched.

2nd method worked the best but of course this was in the spring when they build up fast.

I currently have a nat nuc to transfer but will let it build up in nat b/b and change in the spring, when I will try a shook swarm, which if it works must be the easiest way.

 

[BlipiBee]

Thanks for the feedback. Would it be worth trying your second method or is it a bit late?

 

[Black Comb]

I think it's a bit late for my method 2.
I started to do it 2 weeks ago with this nat nuc but nothing much happened so I'll leave until next spring.

Mind you the weather here in July has been awful so not much of a flow on.

As you've already got them in the l/s box you may as well put l/s frames in otherwise they will build comb at the bottom and edges as they are no doubt doing with the national frames.

Put the new frames at the edge of the brood frames, not in the middle. As they draw these and the queen lays in them you can slowly swop things around until it's all l/s frames in the middle.

 

[snoop]

I did it. Got a national nuc , moved the frames to a langstroth hive ( poly) . As the brood was emerging & the bees were drawing out the new frames , I just kept moving the old langstroth ones to the outside , most are just full of stores now , so when I go to extract, the old ones will come out altogether & they will be totally gone by the end of this season. I just made up wire hangers & hung one end of my national frames off the other langstroths around it , they do build up a bit of brace comb on the end that is short , but in another few weeks , those frames will be out of the hives in any case & I hacve a bit of comb honey for myself.

 

[BlipiBee]

Should I scrape off excess comb build around the shorter National frame edges or leave it?

Main overall concern is to make sure all is good for them for the winter. Sounds like what I am doing is ok which is encouraging!

Thanks!

 

[tidymeup]

I would leave the brace comb they build as they will only do it again. The only way to improve that is to put some extra bars down the side which is what I did.

Next year I should have all the national frames worked out.

 

[Midland Beek]

Don't be hasty to remove National frames. If they are in the hive until next spring so be it.

 

[Polyanwood]

I bought some adapters from Alan Wadsworth to adapt National frames to fit Langstroth hives - nice and neat, no brace comb.

 

[Biddly]

I got national to Langstroth conversion frame kits from Modern Beekeeping and they have worked a treat . Both of my nucs came on national frames and the kit was quick and easy to fit and all is going well. They are shown on their website ( http://www.modernbeekeeping.co.uk/item/22/national-frame-conversion-kit ).

 

[RoofTops]

Took the words right out of my mouth. If you don't plug the gap they will keep trying to build comb, usually at right angles to the frame - and they can do a lot in just 24 hours.

 

[tidymeup]

Yes be careful they do build brace comb at right angles and some times they even build straight to the hive side which can be a pain.

 

[victor meldrew]

Make a simple adaptor twixed the nuc and the langstroth hive full of foundation , feed heavily and watch them go for it

This pic is bs nuc to 14"x12" .
The 14"x12" prtion is made of 2 bs supers and a 20 m/m fillet to get the bee spaces correct
Will be swapped for a 14"x12" proper when HM has some timber dried LOL

.

 

[tidymeup]

He he it does look daft. I had a langstroth super on a national box and then a national roof on top at one point before I converted the brood box.

 

[victor meldrew]

I've seen houses like that in Chester

John