Should I transfer to a polynuc?

[Queen Brenda]

One of my 3 garden colonies is looking very weak. They’re on 14x12 BB with undersuper and fondant on top of BB. Peeking through the perspex crownboard, the colony looks too small. They are taking fondant, very slowly, fewer emerging to forage on warm days than the other colonies and I haven’t seen pollen going in. I can only see about 2 frames of bees. I haven’t removed any frames to check for brood yet obviously. There is a sheet of insulation on top of the eke but a large void between the perspex crownboard for them to warm up. I have an empty polynuc. Should I remove the inhabited frames into this for warmth?

 

[Millet]

One of my 3 garden colonies is looking very weak. They’re on 14x12 BB with undersuper and fondant on top of BB. Peeking through the perspex crownboard, the colony looks too small. They are taking fondant, very slowly, fewer emerging to forage on warm days than the other colonies and I haven’t seen pollen going in. I can only see about 2 frames of bees. I haven’t removed any frames to check for brood yet obviously. There is a sheet of insulation on top of the eke but a large void between the perspex crownboard for them to warm up. I have an empty polynuc. Should I remove the inhabited frames into this for warmth?

I have recently lost a colony in similar circumstances..the weather is forecast to warm up again soon ... if i had the opportunity of good weather like we have at the moment i would have moved my small (now dead colony) into a poly nuc..the ball is in your court what you decide to do..Good luck..

 

[Poly Hive]

You have nothing to lose but...

If they survive they are going to take time and care to build up and they could turn into a drain on the resources of your two good uns.

Sometimes it's better to let Nature sort it out even if it means losing them.

PH

 

[Millet]

I let nature takes it coarse PH and it failed me..thankfully it was not my fault..just a dud bought in Queen..i would still have tried putting them in a Nuc though if i had the weather to do it..

 

[Cuckmere couple]

i ended up with a colony that only just made it last year

was 1 frame of bees...queen was tiny and it took forever to build up...slow laying rate (whcih, as novices we put down to queens starvation affecting her laying...only to figure she was probably laying according to number of bees to look after brood in colony - plus nearing starvation)

they recovered and gave us two supers of honey, but, we probably should have re queened her after the trauma...but they are on 7 seams of bees yesterday so fingers crossed

 

[Poly Hive]

Its amazing what a couple of shakes of bees can achieve but.... you are robbing to pay and that has a cost.

I used to go to silly lengths to preserve colonies but I now don't as we as a community are better off without poor wintering genes.

Sometimes its just more sensible to let go.

PH

 

[BeeSpace]

I moved my weakest colony down into a poly nuc at the weekend. I don't expect them to survive but I feel it was the right thing to do to try. Nothing to lose so you might as well; gives you longer to make a final decision if nothing else.

 

[Walrus]

I agree with PH - nothing to lose by putting them in the poly nuc, but quite possibly not worth saving.

Extract from Bee World 1919 (some things keep on repeating)

our methods of instruction in this country have been against the upkeep of a strong virile race, every poor little lot being saved where possible, with the result that this country is, or was, peopled largely with a degenerate, weedy race that could not stand up against a virulent disease such as I.W.

Isle of Wight Disease and Dutch Bees
By RICHARD WHYTE, Cumbernauld, Dumbartonshire (1919), Bee World, 1:1