Sustainable beekeeping using nucs

[Eyeman]

View attachment Milbrath_SustainableFallNucs.pdf

Here's an article by Meghan Milbrath on sustainable beekeeping where she compares the different types of nucs.

 

[For want of a better word]

Excellent.. we need more posts like this.... instead of the negative B******S that some in your neck of the woods insist on posting!!

Nadelek Lowen

Yeghes da

 

[domino]

Excellent.. we need more posts like this.... instead of the negative B******S that some in your neck of the woods insist on posting!!

Nadelek Lowen

Yeghes da

That's a nice article. I watched Mike Palmers NHS talk on youtube and although it took me two seasons to work it out I now have a nice little queen rearing process completely managed with nucs and plenty of overwintered nucs each year.

I'm not sure why queen rearing is portrayed as an advanced technique by many associations.

 

[drex]

Having been impressed by Mike Palmers take on sustainable beekeeping, for the last three years I have taken home made wooden 5 frame nucs through the winter with no losses. OK, it is on a small scale, this year taking 6 nucs through winter. I stack them side by side and put styrofoam round the whole block, with heavy plastic round that. Going into winter I put a wooden eke on top of each nuc, with clear plastic sheet on top of the frames, so there is space for fondant come late winter. All my main colonies and nucs have self raised 2017 queens in. The nucs really explode come spring and I shift brood frames into production colonies. I know this will mean I cannot accurately assess honey production for the queen in the main colonies, but that is not a worry for me. I get adequate crops, a large part due to forage availabity in my area. By heavy culling I have been able to improve the temperament of the bees, and their health. Even with no control over my neighbours drones, the quality of my bees is improving. I never want for replacement queens, and can readily supply new beeks, that I mentor with bees.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Look forward to reading that

 

[madasafish]

Having been impressed by Mike Palmers take on sustainable beekeeping, for the last three years I have taken home made wooden 5 frame nucs through the winter with no losses. OK, it is on a small scale, this year taking 6 nucs through winter. I stack them side by side and put styrofoam round the whole block, with heavy plastic round that. Going into winter I put a wooden eke on top of each nuc, with clear plastic sheet on top of the frames, so there is space for fondant come late winter. All my main colonies and nucs have self raised 2017 queens in. The nucs really explode come spring and I shift brood frames into production colonies. I know this will mean I cannot accurately assess honey production for the queen in the main colonies, but that is not a worry for me. I get adequate crops, a large part due to forage availabity in my area. By heavy culling I have been able to improve the temperament of the bees, and their health. Even with no control over my neighbours drones, the quality of my bees is improving. I never want for replacement queens, and can readily supply new beeks, that I mentor with bees.

Ditto but home made celotex 5 frame Lang jumbos..

 

[Poly Hive]

RE advanced technique I could not agree more.

I was showing some pupils at Kelso High School who are in (I think) their 2nd year and they thought queen rearing was pretty simple so why are adults so bloody terrified of picking up a larvae?

Beats me.

PH

 

[domino]

RE advanced technique I could not agree more.

I was showing some pupils at Kelso High School who are in (I think) their 2nd year and they thought queen rearing was pretty simple so why are adults so bloody terrified of picking up a larvae?

Beats me.

PH

I was taught grafting in 10 minutes. Prior to that, I'd been given the impression that to graft you needed the eyesight of a hawk and the hands of a brain surgeon.

You don't even have to graft, basic splitting if good enough.

It is a shame that basic increase isn't a core part of beginners courses - after all, it is the kissing cousin of swarm control.

 

[Poly Hive]

Funny you should say that as tomorrow at my evening class I am spending the first hour on swarming and the 2nd on Queen Rearing.

After all, if no one tells beginners about it how are they to learn?

PH

 

[drex]

Started proper queen rearing this year. Used a cloake board and Chinese grafting tool. Had no proper teaching, just read a lot and watched videos. Two rounds and got decent queens each time . Only about a 30% take each one, but that will improve with practice, and I have learned from my mistakes. As a result, all colonies have 2017 queens. Keeping track of dates is the main thing. The rest was easy. Has added a whole new dimension to my beekeeping and was really good fun. The grafting tools are cheap as chips ( buy several, as they all seem a bit different) . Made my own cloak board from an old excluder, and old picture frame. Give it a go, you will not regret it. The cloake board colony even gave me a decent honey crop

 

[madasafish]

Started proper queen rearing this year. Used a cloake board and Chinese grafting tool. Had no proper teaching, just read a lot and watched videos. Two rounds and got decent queens each time . Only about a 30% take each one, but that will improve with practice, and I have learned from my mistakes. As a result, all colonies have 2017 queens. Keeping track of dates is the main thing. The rest was easy. Has added a whole new dimension to my beekeeping and was really good fun. The grafting tools are cheap as chips ( buy several, as they all seem a bit different) . Made my own cloak board from an old excluder, and old picture frame. Give it a go, you will not regret it. The cloake board colony even gave me a decent honey crop

Raised 17 queens with cloake board and Nicot .. easy..As Drex, all my hives have 2017 queens...

 

[Poly Hive]

Interesting article to a point and that point is the heather crop.

I like to make up nucs in May and June so they are strong enough to winter easily. Making them up in September is very high risk for here.

Please remember the climatic differences as in late Sept northern American states and southern Canadian ones can be a balmy 25C+. I have experienced 28C in Ontario at that time.

Beware the siren calling.

PH

 

[Hivemaker.]

Interesting article to a point and that point is the heather crop.

I like to make up nucs in May and June so they are strong enough to winter easily. Making them up in September is very high risk for here.

Please remember the climatic differences as in late Sept northern American states and southern Canadian ones can be a balmy 25C+. I have experienced 28C in Ontario at that time.

Would likely be more in line with north America or southern Canada down here, I like to make up nucs for over winterering in late August and through September, after they have collected the honey crop.

 

[Poly Hive]

Aye that 400 miles of Southing makes a wee odds mannie...

PH

 

[mazzamazda]

Aye that 400 miles of Southing makes a wee odds mannie...

PH

I've just been making mine up the last few weeks

 

[beebopper]

T.W

RE advanced technique I could not agree more.

I was showing some pupils at Kelso High School who are in (I think) their 2nd year and they thought queen rearing was pretty simple so why are adults so bloody terrified of picking up a larvae?

Beats me.

PH

Two things:

Seeing something taught is one thing but actually doing it yourself is another.

Having the time to do it is another. Takes far less time to buy queens from an expert breeder - let’s face it they are likely to produce better queens than me who would always be rushing and therefore making compromises.

 

[Poly Hive]

Which is why I run classes. Hands on classes.

There is no greater satisfaction than seeing a colony with a number of full supers on due to YOU moving a larvae.

Worst colony I ever have experienced came from a queen from a so called expert breeder so.... never assume they are better than you.

Oh, and did I hear a lame excuse somewhere?

PH

 

[mazzamazda]

Which is why I run classes. Hands on classes.

There is no greater satisfaction than seeing a colony with a number of full supers on due to YOU moving a larvae.

Worst colony I ever have experienced came from a queen from a so called expert breeder so.... never assume they are better than you.

Oh, and did I hear a lame excuse somewhere?

PH

I agree however there are some brilliant breeders out there who can produce queens I could only dream of, my current lot are out performing my "Locally" produced (by me) queens around 4-1

 

[mbc]

It is a shame that basic increase isn't a core part of beginners courses - after all, it is the kissing cousin of swarm control.

Spot on and well put!

 

[domino]

T.W

Two things:

Seeing something taught is one thing but actually doing it yourself is another.

Having the time to do it is another. Takes far less time to buy queens from an expert breeder - let’s face it they are likely to produce better queens than me who would always be rushing and therefore making compromises.

You, of course, should keep bees, however, is easiest for you.

But, I do think that teaching all beekeepers the basics of making an increase is worthwhile.