Starter colony feeding & hive frame position

Hollyhock · Apr 20, 2015

Hello, I picked up my first nuc yesterday and have it on my allotment acclimatising. Later today we'll transfer the frames into a langstroth jumbo hive.

Putting everything together is somewhat last minute, as I was let down by various suppliers. The foundation I ordered has not arrived, and I'm making wired frames for their jumbo brood box. The bees are on national 10 x 14 frames in their nuc and I will be tying them to unwired jumbo frames. Should I place these all together in the centre of the hive? Or would it be better to have a wired frame either side of a tied frame?

Also, I'm macguvyuring a feeder with a zip lock bag and ambrosia. But I'm not sure how long to feed the bees for. My preference is not very long but I need some help in getting to know what they need, especially as now they won't have foundation (which wasn't my plan). The closest forage is hawthorn trees.

BeeJayBee · Apr 20, 2015

Why not leave the nuc where it is until you've got the right equipment, the bees won't mind.

Don't split the brood nest, add a new frame to each side and dummy off the rest of the space.

itma · Apr 20, 2015

Keep the existing frames with brood together - "don't split the brood nest".

Just give them one new frame at a time. Rearrange once they have usefully drawn out the comb - not before.
Ideally put the new frame in between the last frame with brood and the first stores-only frame.

Push all the frames up to one end of the hive and book-end them with a dummy board (which isn't a dummy frame).
It would do no harm to fill the empty space beyond the dummy board with some bin bags filled with roof insulation wool or chippings. The less empty space and draughts, the easier it will be for bees to get warm enough for wax-making. Insulation is never a bad thing.

Feeder. Feeding is a part of beekeeping. You need at least one proper feeder. Even at the beginning. The round plastic 'rapid' feeders only cost about a fiver.
Feeding - Ambrosia is for rapid storage. You want to be feeding instant fuel to power wax-drawing. And that means NOT Ambrosia, but 50/50 sugar syrup (by weight).
You should be (under your mentor's guidance) playing games to get all your brood box frames drawn, and all your style of Langstroth. No harm in feeding 50/50 all the time you are trying to get them to draw wax. Stop if you think it is just being stored.

Beekeeping demands patience. Only occasionally does it actually require a snap judgement and/or an instant inspired bodge.
If the bees are in a weatherproof box, not starving and not overcrowded, don't rush to .

/// And btw there's no such thing as a 14x10 National. 14x12 is the jumbo (extra deep) National, and equivalent measurements are 14x8 for the DN ('deep', "brood") and 14x5 for the SN ('shallow', "super").
Good luck with your tie-job. Nucs are pretty generally available on Langstroth family frames ...

Hollyhock · Apr 20, 2015

Thanks both, that helps a lot. Tied the nuc frames to their news ones and placed them in the hive tonight. I'd like to have waited, especially as I didn't have a smoker and it's the first time I've handled bees. But they were bursting to go. We've also badgers on the site, and I was worried about them damaging the nuc. Next time I'd definitely have a more experienced beekeeper by my side! I did do a course last year and I'm looking forward to my local association's apiary opening again at the end of this month. Hopefully I'll find a mentor to work with.

dexter's shed · Apr 20, 2015

Hollyhock said:
We've also badgers on the site, and I was worried about them damaging the nuc.

some of my bees are kept in our woods, we have badgers,foxes,deer etc, never had a problem with anything

pargyle · Apr 21, 2015

Hollyhock said:
Thanks both, that helps a lot. Tied the nuc frames to their news ones and placed them in the hive tonight. I'd like to have waited, especially as I didn't have a smoker and it's the first time I've handled bees. But they were bursting to go. We've also badgers on the site, and I was worried about them damaging the nuc. Next time I'd definitely have a more experienced beekeeper by my side! I did do a course last year and I'm looking forward to my local association's apiary opening again at the end of this month. Hopefully I'll find a mentor to work with.

Take special note of Itma's comments above .. DUMMY BOARD, INSULATION, KEEP THEM TOGETHER, ADD ONE FRAME AT A TIME.. .. I'm sorry for shouting but it's really important ... this lovely weather is going to come to an end mid week and it's going to get colder and wetter. No matter how bursting to go they are, a Nuc dumped straight into a full size Langstroth without restricting the space is too much. I would have left them in the Nuc ...