Salvaging a weak split.

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Bluebell1985

House Bee
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
136
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126
Location
Thurrock, Essex
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
3
I have a two frame split that I did about 4 days ago. Frame of stores with bees on. Frame of capped brood with bees on. Two frames of shook bees and of course the queen. This was in the same apiary so the entrance was stuff with grass for a day. The following day it tipped down so I'm sure no bees would have been flying in it.

I'm working slightly over he entrance being extremely quiet. I'm comparing this to a three frame split I did a few weeks before that was alive with activity. To the point they and filled the nuc within a few weeks. This two frame split has almost no activity near the entrance.

I'll open it up in a few more days but just so I'm ready, what are my sensible options for boosting the nuc?

I figured shaking more bees in is a bad idea.
Adding more capped brood sensible?
How many bees is enough to keep it going?
Stores isn't an issue.

Many thanks for any advice offered. I hope I'm worrying about nothing.
 
You need to look in go judge how many bees. Its quite normal for the nuc to be quiet by making the it in the same apiary all the flying bees have returned, it’ll take some days for them to sort new foragers.
 
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Any flying bees may have gone hence quiet. Doesn't mean there's any issue as more will be reared in time.

Solid or mesh floor and if solid floor, could they breathe?
 
Any flying bees may have gone hence quiet. Doesn't mean there's any issue as more will be reared in time.

Solid or mesh floor and if solid floor, could they breathe?

It's an abelo poly nuc. Solid with 6 vented areas.
 
I'm assuming you did it as a form of swarm control? If so, it would have been better to leave the flying bees return to the Q- anyway, as it is they who are the swarm instigators
 
All my nuc’d queen splits are quiet for a while. They have to recruit foragers. I put two frames of emerging brood in mine.
yes, you have to realise you've nuced her as she's in flat out laying mode, she's not going to stop because you've nuced her, so as soon as the flying bees have sorted themselves out, every available bee is going to be busy tending the brood until they slow down the queen, you will then get a brood cycle long hiatus before they're off again
 
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