Adding a brood frame to a weak nuc

[Oneamateur]

I found my new nuc was slimed by sbh couple of weeks ago. When I opened it, I saw many sbh larva. No broods nor eggs. I moved the queen and all the bees to a new box with new frames. Now the queen starts laying eggs and the workers are bringing in new honey and pollen. The question is that if it is wise to take a brood frame from a strong hive to promote the population of this nuc during this time of the year. I live in NW Florida. And I have some more months of warm weather. Thanks for your suggestions in advance.

[eltalia]

I found my new nuc was slimed by sbh couple of weeks ago. When I opened it, I saw many sbh larva. No broods nor eggs. I moved the queen and all the bees to a new box with new frames. Now the queen starts laying eggs and the workers are bringing in new honey and pollen. The question is that if it is wise to take a brood frame from a strong hive to promote the population of this nuc during this time of the year. I live in NW Florida. And I have some more months of warm weather. Thanks for your suggestions in advance.

Sounds like your're on top of it, I leave the timing comments to others more
local, myself being way across oceans.

I post to intoduce one aspect of the work you have done which really niggles
at my core experience as "bad practice".
Specifically, " new frames".
Time and time again I have read/seen in past weeks - I am new to bee forums - folks
dumping bees and covered drawn comb into boxes... and THEN filling whatever space
with "new frames"..!...where has this come from!?  A certain road to potential disaster, it
beats me how blockers have not been deployed in these case where "new frames" are
added to fill a space..what da!!!
More so when I read the base reason for the new work is beetles!


Cheers.


Bill

[little john]

Now the queen starts laying eggs and the workers are bringing in new honey and pollen. The question is that if it is wise to take a brood frame from a strong hive to promote the population of this nuc during this time of the year.

'Yes' is the answer. Should your Nucleus Colony be weak, then a frame of brood just beginning to emerge would be favourite.  Otherwise, any frame with brood.  Shake the bees off first, of course.

LJ  (who's very grateful we don't have shb over here ... yet)

[iddee]

Bill, if not new frames, then what do you fill in with when you are new and have no drawn comb?

[eltalia]

Bill, if not new frames, then what do you fill in with when you are new and have no drawn comb?

Ah hah..!..thanks maaaate :-)

Take a new colony past it's critical mass in terms of volumetric capacity
and you got troubles looming, even in a full-on flow. Maintain the ratio
of bees to space available and the colony charges forward.
Partly why nucleus boxes were developed, but what fits the "betweens"?
Blockers.
Back in the day it was a hemp[1] block, but today we have magical products as
"Builders Foam". Pix to follow.. it's past my bedtime, bloke ;-)

Cheerio...

Bill

--
[1] sugar bag packed with mill shavings
Neither avaiIable today, safely.

(edit f'kn touch screen thaipo)

[Oldbeavo]

We have some 70mm polystyrene that is cut to hive size and it replaces 2 frames. In an 8 frame box, 2 pieces of polystyrene and you have a 4 frame nuc.
The bees do no touch the polystyrene until they run out of room, then they will chew it and chuck it out.
Also the PS provide excellent insulation for the weak or new hive.

[iddee]

Thanks to both of you. I think that will be good info for many newbees.  Too often, we oldtimers tell a newbee the problem, but forget to tell them the solution.

[little john]

... or make some 'Dummy Frames':
http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/largedummy.html

LJ

[Eric Bosworth]

Bill, if not new frames, then what do you fill in with when you are new and have no drawn comb?

Ah hah..!..thanks maaaate :-)

Take a new colony past it's critical mass in terms of volumetric capacity
and you got troubles looming, even in a full-on flow. Maintain the ratio
of bees to space available and the colony charges forward.
Partly why nucleus boxes were developed, but what fits the "betweens"?
Blockers.
Back in the day it was a hemp[1] block, but today we have magical products as
"Builders Foam". Pix to follow.. it's past my bedtime, bloke ;-)

Cheerio...

Bill

--
[1] sugar bag packed with mill shavings
Neither avaiIable today, safely.

(edit f'kn touch screen thaipo)

If you are using foundationless frames and just put in empty frames you should be fine as long as you have enough bees to protect the existing brood and honey. Limiting space draws a fine line. It is real easy to limit their space, then they take off on a flow, run out of room, and swarm. I love managing nuc's but it does require attention.

[eltalia]

Bill, if not new frames, then what do you fill in with when you are new
and have no drawn comb?

Ah hah..!..thanks maaaate :-)

Take a new colony past it's critical mass in terms of volumetric capacity
and you got troubles looming, even in a full-on flow. Maintain the ratio
of bees to space available and the colony charges forward.
Partly why nucleus boxes were developed, but what fits the "betweens"?
Blockers.
Back in the day it was a hemp[1] block, but today we have magical products
as "Builders Foam". Pix to follow..

 (housekeeping post)

Pix are part of a new topic running here;
https://beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=50578.0

Cheers.

Bill