BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER > REQUEENING & RAISING NEW QUEENS

Mini mini foam nucs

<< < (4/5) > >>

cao:
I agree with HP.  I have never fed my nucs that I make up with a queen cell.  My nucs are usually 5 frame medium boxes.  One frame with queen cell, A couple frames of brood and resources, and a frame or two empty.  For good measure a couple shakes of nurse bees from some other frames.  I do also have some 3 frame deep nuc boxes that I use.

Ben Framed:
Thank you Mr HP and Cao. Thanks for always helping me. To explain, I was attempting to 'follow' the leader, of three successful queen producers, which are in similar climates as my own. From what I have learned from you Mr HP, your flows are a dream come true compared to my area. lol  I am open to the possibility that flow has nothing to do with it in set up as you describe?

I have noticed that the folks which use the foam minis that you tried place sugar syrup in these foam boxes. Joe May for one. (See Loading Mini Nucs)
Bob Binnie who has a 'similar' climate as me, (a couple states East and a little North), using feeders on his '5' frame mating nucs in Spring (see: Queen Mating Yard), Mr Binnie has a variety of methods in raising queens/nucs and uses the way accordingly as situation of his plan. To be fair Mr Binnie has another 'intensive' video explaining how he raises queens. (in August). At the end he and crew are placing cells into 5 frame mating nucs with holes for feeders on top. However he did not say whether he feeds then or not, nor did he show it, if he did I missed it. I have sent a message to him asking this very thing. He almost always answers me. I am confident he will again if he is not too busy, which is a possibility. 
David across from me in Chatsworth, Georgia., 'also a queen breeder', uses custom 2F with a 'complicated to me' custom feeders for mating nucs. Again maybe location and time of year is the reason or part of the reason for feeders? I confess, I do not know?. lol

If I were to consider using 2F this time of year, taking in account we are in a dearth period in my area and will be until September would be a concern as they may need a little help for one concern, or looking at it in another view, feeding may lead to robbing, even in a mating yard. I would add a frame of brood with honey bordering the edges, as you describe Mr HP, along with a frame of empty drawn comb. (I am short of foundation but have plenty of drawn comb frames and so far SHB are almost non existent this season).

I want to reiterate, I very much appreciate Your and Caos' VALUABLE input, help, and sound trusted words . Neither of you have ever steered me wrong. And to be absolutely clear, I am in no way attempting to pit one beekeepers methods against another beekeepers methods. As many have stated here there is always more than one way to do things in beekeeping. I am simply feeling my way along with information that I can find from you 'successful' beekeepers such as the above mentioned along with You and Cao. PLEASE both of you continue educating me! Hopefully I will sort these questions out for my needs for my area along my road of beekeeping.  :grin:
Thanks to both of you my beekeeping friends. :grin:

cao:
I will explain that I am usually done making nucs by the end of may.  So there is a flow going and robbing is not a problem.  I have tried making some up as late as july, but I have not had good luck with queens coming back from mating flights.  The 20% or so that do make it back has to be fed continuously to build up enough to even have a chance to make it through the winter.  If you have the time to play around with your bees then go for it.  I have found that this time of year is harvesting honey and starting to get hives ready for winter(making sure queenright and have enough space for stores).   Too many hives makes fun turn into work this time of year(my sore back).

I don't want to keep anyone from experimenting with the way they keep bees.  I myself have just about every size box and every frame size including long hives and an observation hive(no bees in it this year though).   I learn more by doing.

Ben Framed:
Thanks Cao.

FloridaGardener:
Are we all just kids playing with bugs...?

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page