I have been told it os a good idea to have a Nuc ready to go in case I need it. Why? What are some of a Nucs possible uses? How would I set one up keeping in mind that I am running all 10 frame mediums?
I have a bunch (20+) of nucs about half med and half deep. All 5 frames. I use them for splits. If you find a couple extra queen cells in your hives, add a couple frames of bees and you have a mating nuc or a start of a hive. The main advantage to making splits using nucs is that it takes less resources for each split. I have about ten going right now waiting for the queen to hatch mate and start laying before they get transfered to a full size box.
You can also use them to catch a small swarm.
I built my nucs the same as you would a normal hive. Bottom board, box, inner cover and top cover. The only difference is the width.
One thing I understand is that you can use them to build comb for your "production hive". I guess you can steal a frame of brood if necessary. I am also very unclear on the whole thing. I read about support nucs. You'd have to keep removing things and making them work I guess to keep them small. I really don't understand it either. lol That's why I'm following here. lol Glad you asked.
We try to run 10% active nucs with our hives to be used for the following reasons
Hive gone queenless.
Poor laying queen that needs replacing.
Nasty queen that needs replacing
If the nuc gets too strong it gets a box and a new nuc is created from a strong hive with brood and eggs, it is left to form their own queen.
If your goal is to increase then nucs make sense. If you only have a few hives and do not want to increase then they don't make sense to me.
Quote from: Acebird on May 05, 2016, 08:45:55 AM
If your goal is to increase then nucs make sense. If your only have a few hives and do not want to increase then they don't make sense to me.
Having nucs always make sense to me. I can Ever have too many. Why I say this as a cash flow product. Never had a problem selling a nuus. If I put the word out there. On the local beekeeping Facebook page or Craigslist. My beekeeping needs to be self-supporting. Even if it just breaks even I'm OK. That's enough for this retiree.
Quote from: Oldbeavo on May 05, 2016, 07:41:38 AM
We try to run 10% active nucs with our hives to be used for the following reasons
Hive gone queenless.
Poor laying queen that needs replacing.
Nasty queen that needs replacing
If the nuc gets too strong it gets a box and a new nuc is created from a strong hive with brood and eggs, it is left to form their own queen.
BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :smlie:
Ok. Thanks for the responses. So what do y'all do when it comes to over wintering in Nucs?
Also, am I right in thinking you'd have to continually take frames of brood out in order to keep them small. Otherwise, they'll swarm right?
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Quote from: MT Bee Girl on May 04, 2016, 10:30:39 PM
One thing I understand is that you can use them to build comb for your "production hive". I guess you can steal a frame of brood if necessary. I am also very unclear on the whole thing. I read about support nucs. You'd have to keep removing things and making them work I guess to keep them small. I really don't understand it either. lol That's why I'm following here. lol Glad you asked.
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?324704-Why-have-a-Nuc-ready-to-go&p=1414650&posted=1#post1414650
I asked the same question on both forums. Here's the link.
Having a "nuc" ready could mean several things. I think it should be a nucleus colony. But some people would be a nuc box. Both are handy to have around for different reasons. But a nucleus colony is everything any colony might need so you have spare parts.
I use a nuc box with attached bottom board when working hives. Its a nice clean place to hang the first frame you pull out. And all the other reasons given above.