Nucing a queen

[JamezF]

Since I have the option of doing this for the first time rather than just splitting the colony as I've done in the past because now I actually have some marked queens that I can find, is there an "optimal" combination of open/sealed brood, bees, food and drawn comb that I should aim for when making up a five-frame nuc for her, to keep in the same apiary?

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've done it with a colony making swarm preparations where I've left the nuc with the bare minimum - frame of emerging brood. frame of drawn comb, frame of stores, and the rest foundation with just a cople of frames of bees shaken in but no grass stuffed in the entrance.
It really slows them down though.

 

[Murox]

Just be sure there are enough nurse bees to manage any brood you've moved

 

[jarmo henttu]

Since I have the option of doing this for the first time rather than just splitting the colony as I've done in the past because now I actually have some marked queens that I can find, is there an "optimal" combination of open/sealed brood, bees, food and drawn comb that I should aim for when making up a five-frame nuc for her, to keep in the same apiary?

James

Move the nuc to anothet apiary that flying bees do not return home.

 

[Do224]

Since I have the option of doing this for the first time rather than just splitting the colony as I've done in the past because now I actually have some marked queens that I can find, is there an "optimal" combination of open/sealed brood, bees, food and drawn comb that I should aim for when making up a five-frame nuc for her, to keep in the same apiary?

James

What kind of split do you normally do when you find queen cells?

 

[JamezF]

What kind of split do you normally do when you find queen cells?

If I happen to find the queen, Pagden.

Because I've rarely been able to find the queen (particularly when the hive is stuffed with bees), move the existing hive a good few metres from its present site, set up a new one in its place. Move one frame of eggs and young larvae from the original hive into the new one. Knock down any existing queen cells in both. Go back a week later to find out where the queen is, remove all but one of the queen cells raised in the other hive and leave them to get on with it. It's not an ideal way to handle the situation, but it's got me through. You still have to decide what to do if they continue to make queen cells in the Q+ colony for example.

Since last season however I've been working much harder to find the queens when bee numbers are low and marking them, so now I have better options and I think, having started to find them and mark them, I'm getting a bit better at spotting the unmarked ones.

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Move the nuc to anothet apiary that flying bees do not return home.

move it a few feet away from the home hive maybe, but take them to a different apiary and the fliers will stay with the nuc, risking them triggering a swarm

 

[Do224]

You still have to decide what to do if they continue to make queen cells in the Q+ colony for example.

How often would you say this happens? Is it more likely to happen if the queen turns out to be in the new hive or the old one?

 

[jarmo henttu]

move it a few feet away from the home hive maybe, but take them to a different apiary and the fliers will stay with the nuc, risking them triggering a swarm

Oh dear...

 

[JamezF]

How often would you say this happens? Is it more likely to happen if the queen turns out to be in the new hive or the old one?

To be honest I don't think it has happened often enough to be able to give a meaningful answer.

James