Using a mini nuc with Queen Cell

[Eddie]

I have a colony that was getting ready to supercede I believe (a couple of identical cells 1/2 way up a frame) so did an art. swarm last week. I have bought a mini nuc as I would like to try rearing a queen in this way.

I have the original clipped queen (who is prolific and a non swarmer as it is her 3rd year) and would like to make new queens for my other two colonies. The queenless colony should have a number of sealed QCs by tomorrow. I thought if I have a number of sealed cells I can split them into a couple of nucs and one into the mini nuc. It is easy splitting a colony into a couple of nucs as I just need to share the frames around (but should I close them in for a few days?).

My real question is how to I go about introducing both bees and sealed QC into the mini nuc? I have read that I should put the bees in covered in water or 1:1 syrup and leave for a few days in a dark cool place. I should then introduce the sealed QC and place in the apiary. Is this the generally accepted way to populate a mini nuc.

Any help would be appreciated ASAP as I am inspecting either this afternoon or first thing Sunday if the weather holds.

 

[BKF Admin]

When you say mini nuc are you talking about an Apidia ?

 

[Eddie]

Kieler

 

[Poly Hive]

Same principle.

PH

 

[Kim]

I have a colony that was getting ready to supercede I believe (a couple of identical cells 1/2 way up a frame) so did an art. swarm last week. I have bought a mini nuc as I would like to try rearing a queen in this way.

I have the original clipped queen (who is prolific and a non swarmer as it is her 3rd year) and would like to make new queens for my other two colonies. The queenless colony should have a number of sealed QCs by tomorrow. I thought if I have a number of sealed cells I can split them into a couple of nucs and one into the mini nuc. It is easy splitting a colony into a couple of nucs as I just need to share the frames around (but should I close them in for a few days?).

My real question is how to I go about introducing both bees and sealed QC into the mini nuc? I have read that I should put the bees in covered in water or 1:1 syrup and leave for a few days in a dark cool place. I should then introduce the sealed QC and place in the apiary. Is this the generally accepted way to populate a mini nuc.

Any help would be appreciated ASAP as I am inspecting either this afternoon or first thing Sunday if the weather holds.

=======
I am still quite new to this but have experience of dividing colony last autumn. Hope this helps.

Other members : Please do correct me if I have not done it correctly.

I acquired a small colony in a nuc last July. In August/Sept the colony kept producing queen cells (to swarm). I had to remove the frame with the QC in from the colony.

What I was advised to do was to take that frame after shaking the older bees off, put in a national nuc, add a couple more frames of stores and brood and young bees. The new colony are young bees and no queen, only QCs. Leave it alone.

I had a do another split a few weeks from the parent colony a few weeks later when I found more QCs, but this time I moved the queen and some young bees off to a new location - (artificial swarm??). I ended up with 3 colonies and they are doing okay so far (fingers crossed).

A recent article in beecrafts explianed how to do an art. swarm.

 

[beebreeder]

Never shake bees of a frame with a QC on it if you want that queen to survive, always brush the bees of carefully, you were lucky shaking the frame usually kills the queen unless she was about to emerge