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Author Topic: Deeps in a medium and a new NUC installation questions  (Read 1226 times)

Offline Bushman

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Deeps in a medium and a new NUC installation questions
« on: June 20, 2020, 09:08:53 am »
Hi all!

I picked up my nuc last Saturday and the seller did not get my order correct.  He had agreed to provide me with a medium frame nuc but when I arrived it was a deep.  Needless to say I wasn't happy but what's done is done.

I took the girls home and stacked up 2 mediums and placed the three empty frames to the outsides of both boxes and dropped the deeps in the middle.  The nuc was in pretty good shape with lots of capped brood and the outside nuc frames were close to half drawn out.

I did not want to do it this way and I began to immediately question how I was going to make the transfer back to mediums.  I am a brand new beekeeper and have have zero experience.  I have read and watched hundreds of articles and videos on bees and I have a good idea on how things are supposed to look but real life is a lot different than a video and a very experienced beek keeper.  LOL

So the day after installation I decided I was going to switch from a medium brood box to a deep.  I ordered up a new box and when it arrived on Tuesday I assembled it, painted it and built 3 of the 8 frames it came with.  (Running 8 frame set-up)

I melted some beeswax and heavily waxed the new plastic foundations.  (side note-I applied a good layer of wax to all of the frames I built this spring)
On Wednesday I installed the new deep box and transferred the deep frames from the nuc over to it.

My dilemma was in just those 5 days the girls had made incredible progress on drawing out new comb on the medium frames.
I didn't want to remove all their work so I put one of the two medium boxes on top of the deep and transferred the frames that had comb into the medium upper box.
Some of the frames in the upper "brood" box were given to me by a friend and had drawn comb already.

I saw cells full of new pollen and some with nectar or sugar water.  I can't really tell yet. 
They have been going thru almost a quart of sugar syrup a day.

Now the question is do I just leave em alone for a few weeks and check later?  Are they just storing that sugar syrup in the comb and not eating it?
I'm not in the game for honey, I just really like bees and the honey is a pretty awesome bonus.
I don't plan on taking any of their honey this year as I'm sure they won't have much and will need it all for winter.

Also I don't want to keep disturbing them and have them leave.

Right now the clover is in bloom and the bees are all over my yard.  Other than that I don't know what else they have for resources here in farm country in south central Michigan.  I am fortunate that I live next to 150 acres of woods, a creek and an alfalfa field which tends to only be about 50% alfalfa and the rest weeds and grass.

Taking delivery so late in the year has me concerned as well.

Any thought?  Suggestions?

Thanks in advance
Bushman

Offline AR Beekeeper

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Re: Deeps in a medium and a new NUC installation questions
« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2020, 11:20:01 am »
Continue to feed the colony until they have all the foundations drawn that you will need for winter.  The bees will stop taking syrup when the nectar flow is strong enough for their needs. 

Check the colony at least every seven days and adjust the frame locations to ensure the comb is being drawn out accurately.  If the colony is drawing comb very rapidly you may want to check in four days.

Go to YouTube and watch the UoG video on bees drawing foundations.  U of Guelph in Ontario Canada produced may videos of benefit to hobby beekeepers.

Offline Robo

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Re: Deeps in a medium and a new NUC installation questions
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2020, 06:14:17 pm »
  I have read and watched hundreds of articles and videos on bees and I have a good idea on how things are supposed to look but real life is a lot different than a video and a very experienced beek keeper.  LOL

Well understanding that real world beekeeping throws curve balls that books and videos don't show put you well ahead most beginner beeks.    I also think you made the right decision, especially as a new beek,  to go with the deep to start.   Not sure I followed everything, but it sounds like you have a deep with 2 mediums on top.   It also sounds like you may have put the drawn mediums on top and left a medium foundation box in the middle?    I would have put the drawn combs right above the deep so that the queen could move up and start laying in it.   In the long run it may not make a difference as you will probably need to leave the deep in place for the winter.   Next spring the queen will be laying up top and you can remove the deep at that time if you want.

I would keep an eye on the feeding and make sure they are not storing too much of the syrup and restricting the space for the queen to lay.   If they are then reduce/stop the feeding.
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



Offline Bushman

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Re: Deeps in a medium and a new NUC installation questions
« Reply #3 on: June 21, 2020, 09:12:35 am »
Just for clarification I have a deep box on the bottom and one medium on top of that.    I only had mediums because that's what my friend was using and I just followed suit.  I'm happier with the deep brood box to be honest. As far as needing the medium brood box on top of that I will see how things go.  I think that's called a story and a half?  It was that or I would have probably ended up with three medium brood boxes.
Yesterday they didn't take as much syrup and the foragers legs were loaded with pollen.
Our pollen alert was a low 4 and I'm not sure what pollen they are bringing in right now.  I will check the box next Friday or Saturday and see how the combs look.
It's hard not to look in there as much as I want to.  LOL

Offline Robo

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Re: Deeps in a medium and a new NUC installation questions
« Reply #4 on: June 21, 2020, 11:33:30 am »
Just for clarification I have a deep box on the bottom and one medium on top of that.    I only had mediums because that's what my friend was using and I just followed suit.  I'm happier with the deep brood box to be honest. As far as needing the medium brood box on top of that I will see how things go.  I think that's called a story and a half?  It was that or I would have probably ended up with three medium brood boxes.
Yesterday they didn't take as much syrup and the foragers legs were loaded with pollen.
Our pollen alert was a low 4 and I'm not sure what pollen they are bringing in right now.  I will check the box next Friday or Saturday and see how the combs look.
It's hard not to look in there as much as I want to.  LOL

Just keep an eye on them and make sure they build up enough for winter.   I would assume in Michigan you will want the equivalent of 3 8-frame deeps going into winter if you aren't using insulated hives.   You may end up feeding them in the fall with 2:1 syrup.   If so you want to give it to them in bulk (at least a gallon at a time) so they can store it away as quickly as possible.  Here is upstate NY I don't like to feed syrup much past Oct 1 as it doesn't give them adequate time to process unless the weather is perfect through the fall.   If you can't get them enough 2:1 syrup then consider sugar, fondant or candy on top of the frames with a shim.

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



 

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