Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: tjc1 on August 20, 2013, 04:03:36 pm
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Couldn't find anything on this by searching... I have a swarm in a 5 frame nuc here near the end of August that is just working on the 5th frame. Should I move it into a 10 frame deep at this point, or just let it build up in the nuc and overrwinter there?
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You may still get a fall flow, I'd give them room to grow.
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I agree, give them room. I expect my four frame nucs to double in size during a normal fall flow. If they have a good queen, they require careful management if left to a nuc.
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Thanks for the advice - this queen seems to be ramping up and I was wondering how you could keep them to a nuc for the winter at this rate.
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Another approach especially this late in the year you might consider is give them space but not by moving to a ten frame box. I would set another nuc box on top of it and let them work vertically as they will actually do much better that way, then once all that is drawn out, move them to a ten frame box only if they get enough done before winter. the evenings will start to get cooler soon so nuc boxes going vertical makes it easier for the bees to keep the brood warm. If you can pull frames of brood out of strong hives now, highly recommend it.
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I like to stack nucs to overwinter. If you don't have another nuc to stack, put them in a 10 frame box and start feeding unless you have a good fall flow.
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I like to stack nucs to overwinter. If you don't have another nuc to stack, put them in a 10 frame box and start feeding unless you have a good fall flow.
Good advice, I stack my late nucs 3-4 boxes high to overwinter, then in the spring I break them out into 8 frame hives. That gives me 3-4 brood boxes immediately and I also manipulate the frames to increase the brood chambers in box.
I use mediums but it works with deeps as well. Bees like build up better than build out--building out means manipulating frames.
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I totally agree with the method stated by Mr.Bray. Nucs are a fantastic tool with multiple capabilities and often overlooked for hive management and growth.
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Does overwintering in stacked nucs work well in cold climates (I'm in New England)? I would think that it would be easier for them to freeze through since they are narrower...
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Does overwintering in stacked nucs work well in cold climates (I'm in New England)? I would think that it would be easier for them to freeze through since they are narrower...
I'm in Northwest Washington state, 30 miles from Victoria BC (west) and 60 miles south of Vancouver BC so I'm pretty close to the Canadian Border. I use a 3 tier medium to overwinter bees in quite regularly, in the spring, once the queen has brood in all three nuc boxes I break them out into a 3 tier medium 8 frame, then build it to a 4 tier medium 8 frame before adding honey supers. Sometimes the bees decide to opt for as many as 6 medium brood boxes. When I break them out in the spring I set the hive up thus: B F B B F B F B so that each frame of foundation gets drawn out as brood frames.
I weight the hives down with 3 red bricks, they have survived 80 mph winds, tempts into the teens, and are usually still alive come spring.