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Creating late season nucs

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Bob Wilson:
I would like to make a few nucs off two strong hives. We are in the middle of dearth, but the fall goldenrd flow (I hope) comes in August-early October. I will be checking to see if there are still drones walking the combs.  I wintered a 5 frame nuc last year (created in spring) that did great through our mild Georgia winter.
1. Will a new queen sufficiently mate in late summer dearth?
2. In the next 2 and 1/2 months, through dearth and fall flow, will she lay up a 5 frame nuc of winter bees?
3. She should emerge in approximately 2 weeks (July 29), then mate and begin laying 2 weeks later (Aug 11), then her first brood begins emerging three weeks later (September 2), just in time for the 6 weeks of September and early October goldenrod flow.
4. Can late season splits succeed?

mark:
same timing as nucs i made last year that wintered fine.  i'm north of you in new jersey. they should do well

Ben Framed:

--- Quote from: mark on July 15, 2022, 12:03:16 am ---same timing as nucs i made last year that wintered fine.  i'm north of you in new jersey. they should do well

--- End quote ---
>they should do fine.

I agree with Mark if done correctly...

1. Will a new queen sufficiently mate in late summer dearth?
Answer:
I do not see why not. David at Barnyard Bees has success. He is n Georgia, though further North than you Bob.

2. In the next 2 and 1/2 months, through dearth and fall flow, will she lay up a 5 frame nuc of winter bees?
Answer:
I made 5 nucs in September in my area my first year and all five 'thrived'. I used mated queens. Your queens should be mated by then if you start now. (I fed both sugar water and open fed pollen through the fall and winter. They would take pollen as long as the temperature was 43 or above on a sunshiny day)

3. She should emerge in approximately 2 weeks (July 29), then mate and begin laying 2 weeks later (Aug 11), then her first brood begins emerging three weeks later (September 2), just in time for the 6 weeks of September and early October goldenrod flow.
Answer:
Yes

4. Can late season splits succeed?
Answer:
Mine not only succeeded but thrived. I followed the instructions of, again David at Barnyard Bees. That is where I got my mated queens for the splits as well.

FloridaGardener:
Yes, especially if you have stores frames in the freezer and can parcel these out when there are enough bees to defend them.

Or feed 1:1 with a wisp of salt - that will help them brood up.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34121873/  Don't forget the zinc. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/eea.12342

Keep in mind that each time you add a stores frame it smells like a delicious free meal to your big hives.  So - small entrances, landing boards, colored markers on top to help the new Q mate & get back; then robbing screens on those small entrances until they get to medium size.

yes2matt:
Also in Piedmont, latest I've raised new queens is August.

Only be smart manipulating them in dearth, broken/open honey combs can set off robbing in a hurry.

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