Opening a new nuc.

[Jonnyl]

Evening all. Just performed my first split after spotting 2 charged, admittedly small, queen cells in the hive. Moved the queen to the nuc on her frame, no other cells, which had BIAS, another two frames of stores and 2 foundation. Shook 3 frames into it and closed them in 10 feet from the original. Question is, when should I open the nuc and should i open it fully? Thanks again everyone.

 

[Beefriendly]

Why are you wishing to confine them?
Open it as soon as you can.
Most of the older bees will go back to original hive and you will be left with the rest in the nuc. Confining them or adding twigs leaves or other foliage by the entrance won't have much affect on what happens.

 

[masterBK]

Two Q cells doesn't usually indicate an intention to swarm. Not sure why you closed them in ? Normal practise is to keep the split with the queen on original site and move the half with the cells a few feet laterally.
You will need to keep an eye on what is happening in the rest of the colony (presumably reducing queen cells to one or taking a small insurance nucleus with the spare.)

 

[thedozzer]

Hi Jonny
we did almost identical to you a few weeks back to try and stop them swarming, but didn't take the queen, just some viable QC. we just did it late evening and let them get on with it, didn't close it down and most of the bees have stayed with the nuc, and has pollen & nectar coming in, we had a little bit of drifting back to the old hive, but they seem OK

 

[Jonnyl]

Thanks. I've read somewhere, dozens and dozens of books, that you should put grass in the entrance until it wilts etc probably to prevent field bees going back and keep the nuc populated. I think. Anyway, I'll open it now but as it's a nuc I'm wary of robbing from the original hive so thought a small entrance would be better, easier to defend etc. Thank you all again for your advice. Cheers

 

[mjt68]

Evening all. Just performed my first split after spotting 2 charged, admittedly small, queen cells in the hive. Moved the queen to the nuc on her frame, no other cells, which had BIAS, another two frames of stores and 2 foundation. Shook 3 frames into it and closed them in 10 feet from the original. Question is, when should I open the nuc and should i open it fully? Thanks again everyone.

Sounds good. Open in the morning to a small entrance. If it's in your garden go with a beespace and you can increase if there's a queue, maybe 2-3 beespaces otherwise, can increase next week. If you're superstitious then block with grass or foliage otherwise leave them to it. Check the queenless part in 5ish days to check only original QCs, leaving one or two as preferred. You will have made your life easier if you've marked the frame(s) with QCs.

 

[Jonnyl]

Forgot. I took the queen away and left the cells as i reckoned it simulated swarming more than if leaving the queen in the original. Just seemed intuitive. Thanks again

 

[Jonnyl]

Sounds good. Open in the morning to a small entrance. If it's in your garden go with a beespace and you can increase if there's a queue, maybe 2-3 beespaces otherwise, can increase next week. If you're superstitious then block with grass or foliage otherwise leave them to it. Check the queenless part in 5ish days to check only original QCs, leaving one or two as preferred. You will have made your life easier if you've marked the frame(s) with QCs.

Appreciated. It is in the garden i intend on leaving one cell when i go in to the original again next week. Both were on the same frame and ive narked ir with 2 drawing pins. I'll be sure to scour the rest of the frames and destroy anything remotely looking like a cell. The nuc illcheck then too and just make sure she's good and there's food before then leaving both well alone for a while to crack on. Three weeks perhaps?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've read somewhere, dozens and dozens of books, that you should put grass in the entrance until it wilts etc probably to prevent field bees going back and keep the nuc populated.

If you were just making up a nuc as a walkaway or to receive a new queen yes, but you are trying to avoid swarming, The 'flying bees' are the swarm instigators - so leave them fly back to the original hive and you are left with a nuc full of nurse bees and the old queen neither with much interest in swarming

 

[Jonnyl]

Thanks jbm. I understand the reasoning now.

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