poly nuc

[sprocker]

I have got a young queen in a poly nuc should I leave her in their to over winter or put her in a full size hive thanks in advance aidy

 

[Hivemaker.]

Yes, transfer the queen into a full size hive.

 

[thenovice]

Yes, transfer the queen into a full size hive.

together with the other bees of course ;-)

 

[Torq]

All depends how many bees there are. I've young queen in a poly nuc, I've slimmed down the poly to 3 frames as there are only enough bees for that number of frames. It would be crazy to put her in a full size hive even slimmed down so she'll be spending the winter in the poly.

 

[itma]

All depends how many bees there are. …

 

[oliver90owner]

I think Hivemaker was wide awake when he replied to the two questions asked. His reply was very apt for the amount of information given. I could not have given a better reply!

 

[itma]

I think Hivemaker was wide awake when he replied to the two questions asked. His reply was very apt for the amount of information given. I could not have given a better reply!

That's a pity, RAB.



Personally, I think that first-year beekeepers (in this case with just 7 posts so far on the forum) should be aided rather than mocked.

 

[mbc]

I have got a young queen in a poly nuc should I leave her in their to over winter or put her in a full size hive thanks in advance aidy

If its a mini nuc, no, she would be best used elsewhere to overwinter, but if its a full frame size poly nuc then they are generally regarded as very good for overwintering if they have a reasonably sized balanced population.

 

[sprocker]

yes its a full sized poly nuc she has got 3 good frames of brood and I am on with feeding them now (so leave them whare they are ?) is their any thing else I can do to get them through the winter cheers for your help

 

[Summerslease]

I have two 'insurance' colonies in 14x12 poly nucs which I will be overwintering as such. If I don't need them to replace lost queens in the spring then I'll sell them to someone less fortunate. My experience is that poly nucs keep small colonies nice and warm over winter and they are more likely to survive than if moved late in the season to a hive which is too large for them.

 

[sprocker]

Thanks it looks like they will be staying whare they are cheers aidy

 

[Bosleeu]

I have two 'insurance' colonies in 14x12 poly nucs which I will be overwintering as such. If I don't need them to replace lost queens in the spring then I'll sell them to someone less fortunate. My experience is that poly nucs keep small colonies nice and warm over winter and they are more likely to survive than if moved late in the season to a hive which is too large for them.

Agree, would also winter them in the Nuc.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Can you / do you want to afford to buy another nuc to modify and make a REALLY useful bit of kit?

 

[Roola]

Can you / do you want to afford to buy another nuc to modify and make a REALLY useful bit of kit?

I agree, I've modified most of my poly nucs and will be overwintering 5 eight frame nucs.

 

[itma]

I agree, I've modified most of my poly nucs and will be overwintering 5 eight frame nucs.

For a 3-frames-of-brood nuc there seems no need to go expanding things.

However, getting a spare eke to pack with insulation does make amends for the thin roof.

The roof being thinner than the walls means that it gets colder and the clear coversheet can be seen to be the site for condensation.
Condensation above the bees is a bad thing. Not necessarily disastrous, but nevertheless something to be avoided if possible without much fuss.
The extra eke, full of insulation, solves the problem. (And it makes using a proper feeder possible as well - so worth having anyway for the nuc.)



Building-insulation board (rigid foil-faced ultra-fine foam board) is an easy material to work with, not very expensive (£6 for a bit to fit on a car back seat at Wickes) and exceptionally good insulation. Look out for the trade names Celotex, Kingspan, Recticel, and Xtratherm - I'm sure there are others.
But even a binbag (holding polystyrene chippings or even dry straw) in that eke will give a worthwhile improvement over no eke.

Last winter, (admittedly a mild one), I successfully overwintered a really tiny colony in a Paynes polynuc with extra eke AND a Celotex outer 'bonnet' fitting snugly over all four sides and top of the extra-eke polynuc. Likely not necessary, but should you find a builders skip with a supply of Celotex offcuts, certainly no harm in doing!

 

[Bosleeu]

Have a look at this thread:

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=30665

The use of nucs for overwintering is discussed in great length here. No need to complicate things for yourselves.

 

[itma]

Have a look at this thread:

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=30665

The use of nucs for overwintering is discussed in great length here. No need to complicate things for yourselves.

Your previous dialogue might have given the false impression that it was sensible to leave a syrup feeder or an empty eke above the bees over winter.
You might have got away with it, but both are stacking the odds against (rather than towards) the bees surviving well.


No complication, an extra eke, containing insulation above the coverboard makes it better for the bees. That increases survival chances, which means that a weaker colony can survive more strongly.

 

[Bosleeu]

Your previous dialogue might have given the false impression that it was sensible to leave a syrup feeder or an empty eke above the bees over winter.
You might have got away with it, but both are stacking the odds against (rather than towards) the bees surviving well.


No complication, an extra eke, containing insulation above the coverboard makes it better for the bees. That increases survival chances, which means that a weaker colony can survive more strongly.

You obviously put a lot of thought into your beekeeping. People see things in many different ways though.

May be a false impression to you, to me it is true. I simply trust the design of the Nuc and have not had any problems. I am also not some cowboy that think I know best, there are others that do the same.

I check my bees a LOT during winter - having a coverboard and empty eke makes that very easy, you see. Colonies in polynucs are more active, have less dense clusters and start building up sooner than even full colonies in Spring. Not a sign of lack of insulation in my mind.

For you to say I "got away" with it is a matter of opinion you are of course welcome to have. Like most beekeepers I have lost colonies, because of unforseen things or my own stupidity, but none of them has been a Nuc with an empty eke on it. Also never seen any condensation on the coverboard that I can remember, but will be looking for it now.

I never said it is wrong to use Kingspan. I just try to keep my beekeeping simple. What is it, in anyway? Their website has so many things on it, it's difficult to figure out how you use it. There appears to be several forms, which is the one you use?

 

[itma]

…
I never said it is wrong to use Kingspan. I just try to keep my beekeeping simple. What is it, in anyway? Their website has so many things on it, it's difficult to figure out how you use it. There appears to be several forms, which is the one you use?

This is my personal preferred product
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Celotex-50mm-High-Performance-Cavity-Wall-Board-450x1200mm/p/190546
not least because the sheet is small enough to fit in the car! (Thicker stuff only comes in big sheets - or skips!)
The price has actually gone down since last year.
If fussed you can put 2x 50mm layers inside the eke (above the coverboard). One well-fitted one does wonders.
The 'board can be cut with a breadknife, though a long-bladed jigsaw and proper template might satisfy those more perfectionist than me.
Just lift the eke, insulation and roof as one to see inside.


Re the roof. Measure the thickness for yourself and compare it to the wall thickness.
Same material, more thickness = more insulation.
Where is the most effective place to put insulation in a house? (Heat rises!) Yet the nuc roof is less well insulated than its walls!


And I've found the pic that I remembered was on the forum somewhere …
Take a look at http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=351838&highlight=condensation+roof#post351838 though I personally find the insulation eke to be a less-fuss less-carpentry-skills (and so more appropriate to me) solution.
// And I've myself seen more condensation than that. It is well-reported by others on this forum as well.

/// Also note that, until they redesigned their poly national roof (fattening it, apart from anything else), condensation on the *hive* coversheet was also regularly reported. The fix is similar, Celotex cut to fit inside a super … and its no harm even if you have the new version of the roof.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

I agree, I've modified most of my poly nucs and will be overwintering 5 eight frame nucs.

Thanks, Roola, and a great idea, but that's not really what I meant. I was more referring to my double-brood nuc box. So in this case, rather than staying in the nuc or going to the brood box and maybe rattling around all winter, you put them in the top and put comb or foundation down below. Then they can build down as they want or need.

So take a second nuc box, and cut it off horizontally at the thickness of the roof above the bottom of the frames (if it is still top beespace). Measure twice, cut once, although it is actually easy to correct mistakes. Take the roof and cut the appropriate hole then screw it to the bottom. Seal the joins with metallic tape and seal the feeder with wax or similar. Make up a second, properly-insulated roof and you have a brood box without integral floor. If you've measured twice, cut once, the bottoms of the frames are level with the bottom of the "roof", respceting beespace.

Incredibly useful bit of kit for anyone who uses nucs for increase, wintering or whatever. You can still use it as a nuc on the old floor with a bit of effort.