Nucs full -almost no where for queens to lay

[beesleybees]

Hi guys,

I got 2 paynes poly nucs which have almost no where left for the queen to lay. They have been like this for a couple for weeks but as we are close to the end of the season, I wasn't sure if it was best to merge both of them and combine them both in a bs national.

I have been checking them regularly expecting them to swarm due to lack of space but up to now they have not made any swarm cells.

Do you think i should merge or leave them as they are? These are swarms I picked up around 6 weeks ago

 

[Finman]

Hi guys,

I got 2 paynes poly nucs which have almost no where left for the queen to lay. They have been like this for a couple for weeks...

Put them to normal hive boxes. Summer continues and they rear more brood. Winter is not coming.
If hive is tight, there is no reason to force them to be in such space. They will swarm.

 

[fatshark]

Are they packed with sealed and unsealed brood? In which case there will be a huge increase in numbers when they emerge. Alternatively, perhaps there is a good flow on and they've filled the box with nectar. If the latter, remove a couple of frames and give them some drawn brood. You can always add it back later as the brood nest contracts. If the former ... it depends, do you want two nucs? If so, you might have to remove a frame of brood and give them more space.

 

[fatshark]

Finman is of course correct ... the summer is not over yet.

However he is wrong in stating that winter is not coming.

 

[oliver90owner]

Amazing non-thought on behalf of the OP. Colonies can be united much later than early August.

Give them a chance to build up. If needing to be united much later you might even notice which is the better of the two queens.

Draw yourself a time line projected forwards to the anticipated 'end of season'. Update as time progresses. You will learn something.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

My colonies are still building up - hive them and see what happens, as RAB you can unite them next month

 

[oliver90owner]

you can unite them next month

Or the next and possibly the next, as well.

 

[Nige.Coll]

I've either drunk too much or progressed from newbie to novice because RAB makes sense.




sry don't know if I can call you RAB. no offence

 

[REDWOOD]

You could unite bees and keep a nuc

 

[beeno]

Hi guys,
I have been checking them regularly expecting them to swarm due to lack of space but up to now they have not made any swarm cells.
These are swarms I picked up around 6 weeks ago

Any minute now then if they are short of room for HM to lay and all the emerging bees to sit. IMHO much easier to be proactive than reactive in beekeeping!

 

[Pete D]

Hive one of the nucs and add 2-3 frames (sealed brood if possible) from the other nuc, shake the bees off first. Give the hive some foundation to draw and feed if they need it.
Give the now smaller nuc some more foundation and some feed, I find they draw it easier in the poly.

Or as many have said, hive them both, use dummys to build the brood box up to full size over the next 3-4 weeks and feed if required.

You can unite anytime when the weather is good enough to have checked and removed one of the queens, ie Nov last year

good luck