To feed newly hived Nuc ?

[BrianO]

Hi

Last Sunday hived newly acquired Nuc, told good idea to feed sugar syrup to help them get established ? Any advice ?

Cheers

Brian

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

depends..................
If there was the equivalent of two frames of stores in the nuc (or one frame at a push if flow is on) no need.If there is very little stores yes, but just a bit - or just a few pints to 'kick start' them once they are hived. Be careful how much you give as they will be prone to filling the comb with syrup rather than comb drawing meaning no room for queen to lay.

 

[Heather]

A brand new colony will need feeding but only about 2-3 pints. If there are no stores in there you need to feed.

If you give too much syrup to a Nuc that has a laying queen she may run out of space to lay that needed brood. We cannot see the state of the Nuc in question.
When the Nuc has extended to all frames then transfer the colony to a full sized hive and put in foundation to fill it. You can also give a syrup feed then to assist the bees to produce the wax to build foundation. But again balance between stores and queen space.

 

[Finman]

.
Nuc does not need feeding, because you put there a food frame.
Feeding may start robbing in weak colony

 

[Heather]

We vary in thought. I always feed a new Nuc about 2pts and not had robbing problem, but always something to consider. Just be aware of a problem, and you could temporarily reduce the entrance to 1" if worried.

( Hint to beginners) Just don't spill any syrup in the area! Asking for trouble. If you use the inverted contact container, press hard on mesh and tip upside down well away from the hive to allow any drips to escape before giving to that Nuc.

 

[Finman]

.
Feeding helps nothing in a nuc, because amount of nurser bees rules how the nuc build up. A warm nuc box is very helpful too. The queen has capacity to lay.

If a nuc is too full, you may take a honey frame or brood frame to the bigger hive. And you may do controversy when needed.

Brood cycle in nuc is 3 weeks. A couple days feeding helps nothing. Sadly it is do.

Only way how you can make a faster build up is to give a frame of emerging brood. That gives 2-3 new frames of bees in a week.

I play every summer with 3 frame mating nucs. About 15-20 nucs.

 

[Finman]

.

Never use mesh floor in nucs. It is not good for small colonies.

 

[oliver90owner]

Finman is right. Colony expansion is measured by bee numbers, not stores.

Diverting any nurse bees to other duties is counter productive.

Ask yourself this question: Would the supplier have put a feeder on, if you had not taken it away? The only difference is a new site. Your observations of stores reserves should indicate if feeding is necessary. Read up on what observations and recordings should be taken at every inspection.

 

[Dishmop]

When you consider a swarm of bees hanging in a tree go out and forage and build comb I think they are quite capable of doing the same when you put them in a box, therefore bees in a nuc which already have stores and brood should be more than able to look after themselves.

 

[BrianO]

Never use mesh floor in nucs. It is not good for small colonies.

Just today did weekly inspection, saw queen and eggs, larvae, and sealed brood. Took tray out so as only mesh floor. Thought the general wisdom was ventilation is preferred, and removing solid floor is beneficial ?

Confused

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

All my nuc boxes have solid floors, but once I transfer them to a full hive they all have OMF floors. It's not the middle of winter (not that it makes much difference) so they will be fine on mesh floors

 

[Finman]

.
My nucs have 2x2 cm entrance even if out temp is 30C. Where you need 15 cm x 50 cm open floor?

I watch number of ventilating bees, what is hives need of air. It is easy to see.

 

[BrianO]

Thanks ! So ok with OMF

In relation to feeding, got Nuc Friday of last week, so have week and 2 days, inspected today, 2nd time opening a hive... Fascinating ! ( details as last post above ), bringing in pollen, reasonably busy. Would it not give a good boost to feed some Apinvert I bought, say 1000ml ?

Any problems in doing so, would as someone said, this when taken down take up space in cells queen might have used for egg laying ?

Would it give the Nuc a boost ? On inspection today would add, each frame of new foundation either side of Nuc original frames being drawn out other new frames not yet touched.

Thanks for advice

 

[oliver90owner]

Colonies lose heat from the fabric of the hive by three different processes of energy transfer, given no other changes.

Conduction, convection and radiation.

Radiatio. Is reduced with a solid floor.

Other changes are physical removal of material - such as carrying energy away with air changes. A solid floor can reduce this heat loss. Just a matter of priority. Small colonies are not so resilient as larger ones. Most of my nucs have 'less than total' mesh floors and go through the winter like that. Flatter, wider arrangements are less good, so a nuc sized colony in a shallow National box is less satisfactory than the same volume of bees in a 14 x12, extra-deep nuc box.

 

[BrianO]

Thanks..... But am confused

Should I put the metal tray back on my standard National brood Box containing my newy ( one week ) hived Nuc ?

Seems to be conflicting advice

Thanks

Brian

 

[ratcatcher]

Thanks..... But am confused

Should I put the metal tray back on my standard National brood Box containing my newy ( one week ) hived Nuc ?

Seems to be conflicting advice

Thanks

Brian

ask 10 beekeepers a question, you'll get 10 different answers

you have to figure out the rest

 

[alldigging]

ask 10 beekeepers a question, you'll get 10 different answers

you have to figure out the rest

I thought it was ask 2 beekeepers a question and you'll get 10 differen answers.

 

[Finman]

Thanks ! So ok with OMF

In relation to feeding, got Nuc Friday of last week, so have week and 2 days, inspected today, 2nd time opening a hive... Fascinating ! ( details as last post above ), bringing in pollen, reasonably busy. Would it not give a good boost to feed some Apinvert I bought, say 1000ml ?

Any problems in doing so, would as someone said, this when taken down take up space in cells queen might have used for egg laying ?

Would it give the Nuc a boost ? On inspection today would add, each frame of new foundation either side of Nuc original frames being drawn out other new frames not yet touched.

Thanks for advice

Yeah I have founded and nursed nucs 50 years and it must be enough to understand the build up of small colony. And in colder climate than you there.

But of course a beginner does as his heart says. Love!

Feeding does not give any boost. The queen will lay as much it can.
You just fill the hive wiith sugar and with bad luck it swarms.

 

[Finman]

ask 10 beekeepers a question, you'll get 10 different answers

you have to figure out the rest

Bees tolerate many kind of beekeepers.

.

 

[Blue Spinnaker]

"Colonies lose heat from the fabric of the hive by three different processes of energy transfer, given no other changes.

Conduction, convection and radiation."

Now using this to help with offspring's upcoming GCSE physics!