Overwintering Queens in mating/mini nucs

[waverider]

I currently use Kieler mating nucs for queen rearing. I noticed that Kieler manufacture 'upper body' units for winter use.

Has anyone tried overwintering using this the mating/mini nut? Surely you would need more than one upper body to have sufficient stores and brood to pass through to spring. Thoughts anyone.

 

[Chris B]

I put 36 mini-nucs into the winter, a mix of single body, double body and treble body. 28 made it to spring and all except one of the failures were from single body configuration, but I did have some singles pull through.
The double body is roughly the size of a national 5 frame nuc by my calculations.

 

[waverider]

What month did you raise your Queens for over-wintering?

 

[DulwichGnome]

Has anyone tried overwintering using this the mating/mini nut?

Yes, I had two nuc's plus upper body get through the last winter. Not sure if they would have got through this one. A good 'feature' is that you can slide the upper body to get to the feeder below without opening it up.

Mike.

 

[beebreeder]

I have wintered kieler mini nucs for a few years now, I have made feeders for the top storey and added two extra bars in the lower box, this enables fondant top-up without slitting the box in winter. The lower feeder will not fit in the top as the top section is shallower than the main box. Also keep them at a reasonable height I have had them damaged by badgers this year, kielers virtually wrecked. Tried to upload images but ti would not work.

 

[Midland Beek]

I've heard of people locking bees into Kielers over winter and storing them somewhere cool. Trea the inside to prevent bees from chewing their way out. Use fondant as a food reserve. Supply water.

 

[fatshark]

I've overwintered in Kielers the last couple of years. Like beebreeder I built upper fondant feeders - effectively a frame feeder for fondant. Queens were usually mated in August or September. All mine overwinter as doubles. I've not tried a single storey.

I had one freeze solid this winter so moved others to a sheltered spot. They don't like being shut up in the Kieler for protracted periods as they start to panic as soon as the temperature increases very much.

I wish the upper and lower sections were similar depths (lower is deeper) as it makes uniting colonies before winter a bit of a pain - you have to it cut away and it's often filled with valuable brood in the build up to winter.

Again, as recommended by beebreeder, keep them at a reasonable height - not because of the badgers in is case ... it's a pain scrabbling around on your knees in mid winter adding fondant. This year mine are going to be on shelves ...

 

[mbc]

http://www.abelo.co.uk/shop/mini-bee-hive-mini-plus-mating-hive/
the dogs danglies in mating nucs imo, similar low input stocking to other mini's but easily expandable to a full box or more by stacking for overwintering.

 

[Goran]

In our weather conditions-climate some people overwinter easily double box mating nucs with 5 half frames of lang ( 2*5), as some addition they put in it one ( or more) normal frame full of food through both boxes. But some say this is more psychological than necessity. That gap between boxes isn't problem for these nucs. This year I hope to be one of them.
Forgot, material is wood -normal 2cm thickness.

I have a pic of frames which are at normal hive for a moment, later will go hopefully into nucs..

 

[beebreeder]

Tried to load these with my post last night, hopefully admin has sorted, here goesView attachment 8448

View attachment 8449

 

[Nic Rhodes]

The mini plus hives are great, I have one on four brood boxes I over wintered! It is my favoutite mating hive.

Re Keilers, there are two sizes of second brood box available, one takes the feeder.....one does not.

One box Apidea / Keilers are fine in the summer but 2 or more boxes do make a very decent wintering colony....