Too late for splits via 3frame brood reduction?

[tom8400]

Hi all

After a few opinions, is it too late to take 3 frames from a hive to create a nuc? And put a queen in?

None of my hives have swarmed yet.... few cups but no real plan to swarm unlike last year. I made one nuc early on now full hive but the other hives are strong so I was wondering if I could make a couple of nucs up this late on? I gather it's normally done later in the year for over wintering?

After a few pointers as some of my hives have aging queens and I don't want to risk a winter loss in numbers due to aging queens

 

[mbc]

Hi all

After a few opinions, is it too late to take 3 frames from a hive to create a nuc? And put a queen in?

None of my hives have swarmed yet.... few cups but no real plan to swarm unlike last year. I made one nuc early on now full hive but the other hives are strong so I was wondering if I could make a couple of nucs up this late on? I gather it's normally done later in the year for over wintering?

After a few pointers as some of my hives have aging queens and I don't want to risk a winter loss in numbers due to aging queens

I take it you're planning to introduce a mated queen?
If so, no worries, you I have plenty of time.
If they're going into the same apiary then thought needs to be put into a good portion of the flyers from the nucs going back to their original homes, so either the nucs need to be made up exaggeratedly strong in bees or mitigate some other way e.g.. leave them shut in and ventilated in a cool dark place for a few days.
You could always then unite them with the parent hives once the queens have got going if you've no need to increase.

 

[deemann1]

No , plenty of time

 

[tom8400]

Its as a insurance policy for extra hives next year basically lost two in winter so I felt if i made some nucs to over winter it would balance out with a bit of luck. Obviously I dont want to weaken my main hives
I took a few frames from one hive yesterday as its a double brood, I will order mated queens to get them going quicker.

I take it this should be perfectly fine and I imagine this is effectively how people create over wintered nucs?

 

[Repwoc]

I took a few frames from one hive yesterday as its a double brood, I will order mated queens to get them going quicker.

I take it this should be perfectly fine and I imagine this is effectively how people create over wintered nucs?

Yes, but you should have done it the other way round - ie get the queen then make up the nuc and introduce her immediately in the travel cage + candy.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes, but you should have done it the other way round - ie get the queen then make up the nuc and introduce her immediately in the travel cage + candy.

 

[tom8400]

well that's puzzled me so it's not a case of wait for queen cells destroy them introduce queen followed by another destroy queen cell phase then release tab? As per normal queen introduction?

Il get some queens and make another as you mentioned queen first

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

well that's puzzled me so it's not a case of wait for queen cells destroy them introduce queen followed by another destroy queen cell phase then release tab? As per normal queen introduction?

There's no way I'd call that normal