Nucs or Hives for winter?

[Beanwood]

As I sat in my kitchen this afternoon making up shallow frames, in the hope that the rain may stop, my queens may get mated, brood will start to be set, and there might be a spoonful of honey the bees could spare for me towards the end of the season, I had a thought that I'd like your advice on please.

Is it better to go into what I understand may be a harsh winter with 4 Nuc's of average strength or 2 colonies having united the nucs? (4 would seem to split the risk, but 2 would add to the critical mass for generating heat?)

I know we're not in winter yet, but with little sign of an improving summer, I'm trying to plan ahead.

 

[oliver90owner]

Choices, choices.

I would say aim for strong colonies into winter.

Varroa-free winter bee brooding is tyhe most important part of preparing yor bees for winter (feed is secondary as fondant could be fed all winter). Decisions come much later than now.

Young queens, a strong complement of healthy bees, a full box or boxes of stores, adequate insulation over the crownboard and leave them alone is a good starting point as a plan for winter. I don't interfere with my colonies unless I really have to, once they are in the winter cluster.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

 

[Poly Hive]

Colonies.

Unite and your queens have double power to support them and they will consequently build up much faster than if halved.

Nucs for winter are a gamble always. Some years it is a winner and some years not....

PH

 

[stoneleighhouse]

double brood into winter

advice please. I,ve a strong colony on double brood should I split it or leave as double brood into the winter?

 

[Poly Hive]

If it is strong... and that is a weasel word if ever there was one, how many brood frames full of brood? if 18 or so then yes split, if much less no. Then again it depends on how many colonies you want for next year and more to the point how much spare kit do you have? Potentially you are looking at 10 sets of floors roofs broods and so on.

PH

 

[mbc]

A reasobale nuc (3 frames of brood with more than enough bees to cover the brood plus a laying queen) in mid july can easilly become a very large( double brood) overwintering colony before brood rearing winds down and a winter cluster forms( this is true for West Wales anyway).