I caught a small swarm in a 5 frame nuc box Thursday, I was out of town ,wifey saw swarm .
I got home yesterday, had box on top of shed 12' high, looked in nuc the full drawn comb was covered with bees fill it with nectar, other frame with half drawn natural comb covered by bees then bam there she is nice looking Q.
I waited till night time and pulled nuc down straight down to about 4 ' off the ground. This morning there are some bees still trying to find box. My ? How many bees will I lose not being able to find box?
None. They will find it.
Thanks iddee was worried, was just out watching there's some still flying around roof but noticed some going in. What a relief.
Another question the other 3 frames 1 with foundation other 2 were empty the bees already drawing natural. It was a small swarm maybe 2 1/2 to 3 lbs. I have to go out of town all week, do you think thats enough space for bees to work, or should i add another box ?
They will be fine. They won't have new bees for 3 weeks.
Is it common to use a nuc for a swarm trap? (I have read article about specific dimensions to build a trap, etc.)
Lazy people use nucs. I use a 10 frame deep.
I typically use at least an 8 frame deep or equivalent for a swarm trap.
Quote from: iddee on May 08, 2017, 08:28:07 PM
Lazy people use nucs. I use a 10 frame deep.
Am I considered lazy when I had a empty 5 frame medium nuc sitting in my yard that a swarm moved into last year. :wink:
That's double lazy. You're supposed to at least climb a tree and shake them in. :tongue: :cheesy:
Don't sound lazy to me. Sounds like a smart man :cool: