Too late to salvage weak nuc?

[Jengles]

I had a hive decimated by wasps, robbed down to barely a frame of bees and a tiny patch of larvae. The queen is present. I've put the survivors into a poly nuc with a frame of bees and capped brood from another hive and moved them to my garden (+3 miles away) to try and keep an eye on them. I checked them a few days later to see that they had unhelpfully uncapped half the brood! A side effect of the Apiguard?

In any case, they are so weak I can't see them surviving winter without a lot of help.

I've got 2 decent strength hives and 2 other ok nucs. This late in the season is it worth weakening the hives to boost the weak one? Would you bother saving them or just focus on the stronger ones and split in the spring?

 

[pargyle]

Shake them out in front of your other hives... with just a cupful of bees they are a lost cause on their own. I'm a real sucker for a lost cause and I've tried in the past ... it never works and you just end up with an empty box or a dead out. Quit whilst there are still some there.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Shake them out in front of your other hives... with just a cupful of bees they are a lost cause on their own. I'm a real sucker for a lost cause and I've tried in the past ... it never works and you just end up with an empty box or a dead out. Quit whilst there are still some there.

 

[ericbeaumont]

put the survivors into a poly nuc

Have heard of over-wintering in poly mating nucs; was it madasafish? Depends how keen you are to experiment.

It was MadsaF: https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/overwintering-queens-in-min-nucs.41458/
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/overwintering-queens-in-mating-mini-nucs.23509/
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/apidea-box-over-winter.37851/
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/overwinter-queens-in-mini-nuc.6442/

 

[Penninetrader]

I am scratching my head, established hive I requeened due to queen loss, why I do not know, but the replacement she is a lazy so and so. The brood do not add up to half a frame on one side in 5 weeks of her tenure and plenty of double + triple eggs, the bees are dwindling and the clock is ticking on lifespan. Next is a nuc with same sourced Queen who is more lively and starting to lay but now not enough bees to cover brood successfully. What to do ? I have an idea but I am wide open to experienced advice.

 

[pargyle]

I am scratching my head, established hive I requeened due to queen loss, why I do not know, but the replacement she is a lazy so and so. The brood do not add up to half a frame on one side in 5 weeks of her tenure and plenty of double + triple eggs, the bees are dwindling and the clock is ticking on lifespan. Next is a nuc with same sourced Queen who is more lively and starting to lay but now not enough bees to cover brood successfully. What to do ? I have an idea but I am wide open to experienced advice.

Have you checked varroa levels recently ? I mean - a proper check - either a sugar roll or a a blast with OA to see what the forced drop is ....

You may need to combine these as, without enough bees going into winter, they are doomed.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Queen who is more lively and starting to lay

Unite to this one, put the result in a poly nuc and feed; treat as Pargyle suggested, but do so with Apivar to prevent feed refusal due to thymol odour.

 

[madasafish]

Have heard of over-wintering in poly mating nucs; was it madasafish? Depends how keen you are to experiment.

It was MadsaF: https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/overwintering-queens-in-min-nucs.41458/
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/overwintering-queens-in-mating-mini-nucs.23509/
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/apidea-box-over-winter.37851/
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/overwinter-queens-in-mini-nuc.6442/

Yes: I still do..
BUT... and this is the KEY point..
these are colonies established long before with Eggs, brood, stores, and Drawn Foundation.
To expect a colony to be started from scratch NOW - is hoping for good weather for two months to allow them to get established. AND freedom from wasp attack.
I - with a number of years' experience # - would not bother trying the odds are against you.

# often painful and bitter.

 

[Penninetrader]

I am thinking along those lines of going with the livelier queen, the girls are very healthy just ageing in the main hive