Whats the best Mini Nuc?

[Hivemaker.]

"
Pete - how many cells do you expect/require your double raiser colonies to support at a time? 24 each?

Twenty,two bars with ten cells on each.

 

[Hivemaker.]

My first grafts of this season done today,two days later than last season, plus a few more boxes of mini frames added to strong colonys, along with a gallon of syrup each to help them drawing the new combs.

 

[blackcavebees]

 

[Nic Rhodes]

this years experience

Just for info, I battled with Keiler and Apideas this year (normally no issues). I had abscondees and poor mating. My larger two in one square hives [sold by Thorne$ and Abelio in this country] that take (3 or) 6 half Langstroth medium frames we much more successful in the same apriaries. There was a distinct preference for larger mating hives / nucs up here this year.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Much the same here, the wooden mating boxes (as pictured earlier) out performed the poly mini nucs, still have queens in 40 of them which need to be transferred next week.

 

[DanBee]

Nic - I had the same problems with Apideas but would not describe this season as normal. Small standard nucs were far more appropriate to this year.

In July I stood up in a BIBBA meeting and introduced myself as a slug farmer...

 

[mbc]

.., still have queens in 40 of them which need to be transferred next week.

Any chance of expanding on where you transfer queens to at the end of October ?

In July I stood up in a BIBBA meeting and introduced myself as a slug farmer...

Lol. I have had much the same problem, especially with kielers left on the ground.

 

[beebreeder]

Before HM replies lets have a few guesses/informed ideas of what may happen to a mini nuc to help it overwinter, he may not reply, trade secret !!!!!

 

[fatshark]

Sheltered spot, strong as possible (e.g. double height Kieler) and feed 'em up ... give OA mid-winter and you should have queens ready in early Spring for re-queening hives that have turned out to be drone layers, or preparing fresh nucs.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

Nic - I had the same problems with Apideas but would not describe this season as normal. Small standard nucs were far more appropriate to this year.

In July I stood up in a BIBBA meeting and introduced myself as a slug farmer...

I would not describe it as normal either, re slugs....loads in the boxes!

 

[mbc]

Before HM replies lets have a few guesses/informed ideas of what may happen to a mini nuc to help it overwinter, he may not reply, trade secret !!!!!

Besides requeening drone layers (late in the day for that ?) or building up to overwintering units, I cant think what may be the best thing to do with 40 laying queens in mini nucs at this time of year. Surely its got beyond the time where splitting other colonies to make up new nucs to introduce them to is viable.
I'd be very interested to hear the method if banking them was the answer.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Looks good, any chance of a few more pics, inside, are the frames cut down super frames, looks like you have been very busy these dark nights

The start....

The small frames either foundation,drawn comb or a mixture of both are fitted into a split super,twenty four frames,this super of frames is then put onto a strong colony or even between the two brood boxes of a double.

When there is plenty of brood these frames are removed into the mating nucs,either with bees from the same colony or bees from elsewhere shaken in,only one frame of brood per nuc is needed really,then either some drawn combs or frames of foundation.

These supers of bees and brood can be completely removed and taken to another location a mile or so away, and several supers of bees and brood stacked up..seven or eight supers is ideal...these can then all be split into the mating nucs in one location.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Some closer pictures of the nucs pictured earlier in the thread.

The feed compartment will hold 2kg of fondant or just under two litres of syrup.

The front slide is placed in the bottom groove to close the entrance and open the two meshed vent holes for trasportation,plus each nuc has a meshed travel screen if needed.

There is a clear inner cover,and one inch of insulation in the roof.

 

[Hivemaker.]

At the end of the season the brood and bees can be placed back into the split supers and united to full sized hives above a queen excluder, until all the brood has emerged, or just the frames of brood can be added to full size hives and the bees used elsewhere if needed.


The nucs which are going to be kept over winter are transferred into four way boxes as in the pictures below, along with two extra combs,one with stores.
These four way boxes are positioned above strong double brood hives for winter, they have full mesh floors, so heat from below helps the small colonies.

They can then be fed with syrup in the one litre contact feeders, and these are filled with fondant for winter when syrup feeding is finished. The eke is then filled with insulation,poly,wood shavings,bubble wrap ect, then the lot is covered in a full size insulated roof...the eke in the picture is a pattern one,the ones in use are made from ply or cedar.

In the spring the queens are used and the nucs split up to start over again.

 

[blackcavebees]

Thanks Pete, off to the workshop this week then ... Have made a load of half frames so will make some mating nucs to put then in.

 

[mbc]

The nucs which are going to be kept over winter are transferred into four way boxes as in the pictures below, along with two extra combs,one with stores.
These four way boxes are positioned above strong double brood hives for winter, they have full mesh floors, so heat from below helps the small colonies.

Ta muchly for the explanation and piccies Pete
With regard to the four way box over the strong colonies, is this a proven technique or a new plan ?
I have read mixed reports of overwintering little colonies over strong ones with a mesh partition, there seems to be some concern that the top ones frequently carc it as they live in a damp fug of air coming up from below, its certainly always been a bit hit and miss for me, admittedly trying a slightly different arrangement though.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Setting them over a double screen was an idea that i thought about, but i decided against it for the very reasons you describe,stale damp air rising.

They are all placed above crown boards,with feed hole completely closed,still plenty of warmth transmitted upwards this way through the timber, and all of my crown boards have a deep rim one side,plus one or two side entrances on the deep side...they are used as part of spring summer management.

These side entrances are left open (but meshed to prevent bees entering and getting trapped),these act as an exhaust for any damp or stale air for the nucs above, via the open mesh floor.

 

[blackcavebees]

Pete, the feeder in the mating nuc, do you have to paintthe inside with pva or seal with beeswax or what stops the syrup from seaping? Sorry if a stupid question!

Stephen

 

[Hivemaker.]

If feeding fondant it is just placed in as is, its fairly well sealed being glued all round with waterproof glue. If feeding syrup a two litre plastic milk container fits perfectly into the feeder compartment,with the top trimmed down..and obviously a float to avoid bees drowning. But yes it could also be used without the milk container if the feeder compartment was given some extra sealing, by painting or hot beeswax run around the inside.

 

[blackcavebees]

Plastic milk carton it is! We do like to recycle, thanks Pete