I have 10 frame medium nuc. Nailed on plywood bottom board with 3/4" of bee space. Looks like comb hanging from bottom of frames. I had it for 3 days and the bees started bearding at night. I set a deep super with undrawn wax foundation on it. Vented the top cover. Bees went up into it and are working like mad building comb. Lots of pollen coming in and I assume nectar (100 yrds from an orange grove in bloom). Still bearding, but not as bad. I would like to swap the nuc frames into a new med box, slat rack, and bottom board I built. Apparently they were/are out of room in the nuc. I also assume I should clean the comb off the bottom of the frames. Any problems with this?
Quote from: rast on March 16, 2008, 12:07:40 AM
I have 10 frame medium nuc. Nailed on plywood bottom board with 3/4" of bee space. Looks like comb hanging from bottom of frames. I had it for 3 days and the bees started bearding at night. I set a deep super with undrawn wax foundation on it. Vented the top cover. Bees went up into it and are working like mad building comb. Lots of pollen coming in and I assume nectar (100 yrds from an orange grove in bloom). Still bearding, but not as bad. I would like to swap the nuc frames into a new med box, slat rack, and bottom board I built. Apparently they were/are out of room in the nuc. I also assume I should clean the comb off the bottom of the frames. Any problems with this?
I would not call 10 frames of any size box a nuc. When starting a hive in medium frames it is often good practice to add a 2nd box above with 1/2 of it being undrawn frames and the other 1/2 filled with feeder (frame or canister type). If hiving using a top type feeder still it is not as critical for the 2nd box. Realize that the 2nd box must be added sooner the smaller 9depth) the box you're using. If you hive in a medium box with a top feeder be ready to super after the 2nd feeding as a 3 pound package will fill a medium box pretty much by itself.
Bearding is an indication of crowding within the hive. A slatted rack provides an area the excess bees can congrigate reducing the bearding it is always good practice to utilize one. Ventilation can also be a factor. Adequate ventilation allows more bees to remain and work within the hive making it more productive. A SBB helps with this as will some type of air vent at the high point in the hive--notched inner top.
Wasn't what I had in mind as a "nuc" either when I told the man that owns the apiary that I wanted to buy a nuc. Apparently that is what he sales as a nuc.
I top fed them for two days and then added the deep super on top. I do not have any drawn comb, just new frames with foundation. This morning they were roped on the outside of the hive. Weather is warmer, high 60's, low 70's. It is vented with no inner cover.
I'd leave the wax. It's not hurting anything.
Did as I originally said I was going to do. Took top super off and put frames out of bottom medium into a new medium with a slat rack and screen bottom board. It stopped the bearding at night. Too crowded. Gave them some "breathing room".
Rick