Swarm control using a nuc box?

[Father Fox]

I have found queen cells again, and have run out of hive equipment. Has anybody Any simple advice for swarm control with a nuc, putting a queen cell into it for mating and keeping the old queen in the original hive?.

 

[clv101]

Here's what I've done successfully on several occasions:

Take the frame with the queen, some sealed brood and a good frame of stores from the hive and place in the nuc. Ensure there are no queen cells, charged cups on these frames. Shake in a few more bees for good measure. Fill nuc with foundation.

In the main hive, replace removed frames with foundations, pull down any/all sealed queen cells. Leave a couple of good looking open queen cells with good looking larva in them, pull down all the rest. Mark the frames where these are.

Return to hive in ~5 days and pull down any newly created queen cells and choose the best looking of the two that you left last time. Pull down the other to leave just one cell.

Leave the hive to it for ~3 weeks before checking your new queen emerged, mated and has started laying.

 

[sail819]

good simple advice

 

[Black Comb]

This thread explains.

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=23563&highlight=Nucleus+method&page=3

"Nucleus method" in the search engine brings up some more threads.

 

[Ben90]

As clv says, but make sure you're absolutely thorough in clearing any spare queen cells and that you don't miss any, or you could still get a cast(s). Made this mistake with one of my own hives recently, and found an opened queen cell in the hive afterwards and thought "How the hell did I miss that?"

If you leave two queen cells so you have a backup, I always try to choose cells in different stages of development so I know they'll emerge on different days. So I can confirm the first queen has emerged and destroy the other and avoid casts.

 

[Finman]

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Something strange in these advices. Swarm control with nuc?...these is no such.

You must cut the swarming fever.

Make A normal AS. Make A Foundation hive on old site. There you put the laying Queen and A brood frame.
The advantage is that it is NOW start OF summer and the Queen continue laying with those glying bees.
If you put the Queen Into prison/nuc, WHO makes bees for main yield?

Advice above means that main hive looses laying Queen this time OF summer. Not good Idea. And main hive May keep still ITS swarming fever.

 

[BeeJayBee]

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Something strange in these advices. Swarm control with nuc?...these is no such.

Yes there is, and google can find it on several sites. Dave Cushman for example http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/swarmconnuc.html and Moray Beekeepers, although the link may not work http://www.moraybeekeepers.co.uk/beekeeping/swarming/

 

[Skyhook]

It's now my method of choice- I find it simpler than AS, less kit required, and totally effective.

.

 

[clv101]

It's now my method of choice- I find it simpler than AS, less kit required, and totally effective.

For the first time I had a swarm from the split this year. On 11th April I split the queen off from the main colony in a nuc... two week after that the six frame nuc was full and move into a 14x12 hive... last weekend the old queen left in a swarm! In hindsight my own fault for not giving them them a super and leaving two weeks between inspections. Managed to catch them and they are now back in the nuc with one large open queen cell left in the new hive.

 

[Finman]

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However, the nuc system is a disaster to the honey yield because laying Queen is eliminated to a small nuc.
.

 

[dickbowyer]

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However, the nuc system is a disaster to the honey yield because laying Queen is eliminated to a small nuc.
.

That is why I do a vertical AS using a Snelgrove board to bleed bees back into main part of hive. Extra equipment needed, 1 brood box with foundation or drawn comb and a Snelgrove board - simples!

 

[Finman]

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Normal AS is good too, because it draw One box OF Foundations in A week.
Beekeeping needs extra stuff TO be blexible.

 

[Skyhook]

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However, the nuc system is a disaster to the honey yield because laying Queen is eliminated to a small nuc.
.

There probably is an effect there, but this can be minimised by draining bees from the nuc into the hive by swapping sides: and a modest loss can be tolerated by hobbyists.

That said, there is not a noticeable difference between those hives of mine which have been 'nuc'd' and those which haven't.

 

[Finman]

There probably is an effect there, but this can be minimised by and a modest loss can be tolerated by hobbyists.

That said, there is not a noticeable difference between those hives of mine which have been 'nuc'd' and those which haven't.

Loss is Huge if hive is without brood 3 weeks Before main yield.

It takes 6 weeks that those eggs are foragers.

During busy time 50% of foragers Will die in 3 weeks. That is why colony needs continuous new flow of foragers.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

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Beekeeping needs extra stuff TO be blexible.

I think we're all seeing this year HOW MUCH extra stuff... Maybe the inevitable answer to the OP is a couple of extra boxes.

What happens if you put the Q in a nuc as described, keep the main colony hopelessly Q- for about a week, add space and reintroduce her. Does that kill the fever?

 

[Tom Bick]

I did one of these splits with a nuc today on a hive at Kew Gardens as it was the easiest thing to do at the time. It's the first time I have done one and it will be interesting on how it goes. As it's still reasonably early I suspect we may still have swarming urges to deal with but time will tell.

 

[Finman]

What happens if you put the Q in a nuc as described, keep the main colony hopelessly Q- for about a week, add space and reintroduce her. Does that kill the fever?

I use To rear Queens in a swarming hive. Then I make for example 10 mating nucs from the hive and emerging Queens or Queen cells.

No mating nuc has swarmed and the bees accept their own Queen. And they have been hundreds.

Keep main hive queenless....why! My goal is that Queen continues laying.
What Idea is is To invent a square if you need a Wheel.

 

[Finman]

What happens if you put the Q in a nuc as described, keep the main colony hopelessly Q- for about a week, add space and reintroduce her. Does that kill the fever?

I give Foundations. That kills allways the swarming fever.
At same time when you keep a hive queeless, my hive lays One box full of brood in a week. So it Does.


This swarm preventing was invented by Demaree 150 y ago. Why it must be invented every day. Why you are not satisfied which Works....but but, like my friend said last year that it did not work. He just learned To use it.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Thanks Finman. I have Demareed successfully I hope. Just wondering, not reinventing. Will definitely Demaree before the fever in future. I do hate gaving a QE in there though.

 

[Finman]

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Take a laying Queen Into a nuc is same as a swarm leaves and clipped Wing Queen dies outside...
Fever continues in the hive.

Break the Queen cells and bees rear more

And so on...