Making Nucs-But have no mated or virgin queens.

[Ericnwicklow]

Hello all


This spring i want to make up some nucs so that i have some spare queens and brood etc for my other hives if they have any problems.
But all the books i have read say to put the 2 frames with emerging bees ,food stores to the side and a frame of foundation atotal of five ,and then introduce your mated queen or virgin,
Ido not have any spare queens of my own ,so how do i go about making nucs without?
I know your help is out there so look forward to your helpful suggestions .
Regards Eric.

[pdmattox]

When you make up your nucs, instead of putting in a queen you will let them raise one. This will take about 3-4 weeks to have a laying queen. You need to have 2 frames of capped brood,a frame of open brood with eggs, a frame of honey and pollen and lastly you need a frame of foundation. I like to make the nucs up and when all are done take them away to another yard 3 miles away, set them up to where they are not in a strait line and put a jar of syrup on them. You want them kinda of scatterd so that when the queen mates and comes back to the hive she will not go to the wrong one. there that is how i do it.

[HAB]

The above process is what we're doing.  Our two nearest BeeKeeps are each starting our first (Made by Wife) two Nucs.  Both are doing well and we are to pick the first one up this weekend.
The Hives have been assembled, painted and set out to cure for the last two months. Frames assembled, wired and waiting for foundation.
We are on pins and needles we're so excited! :)

[pdmattox]

>Frames assembled, wired and waiting for foundation.

I thought you put the foundation in and then the wire. ;)

[Joseph Clemens]

>Frames assembled, wired and waiting for foundation.

I thought you put the foundation in and then the wire. ;)

For me it is much easier to assemble the frame, including any horizontal wire, if I plan to use any, then add the beeswax foundation - embed it, then install it pronto, before it warms up too much and starts to sag.

It's also best to put it on a hive that's ready to use it, or it could sag horribly before they get around to it.

[HAB]

Don't know if it's right or wrong to put the wire in the frame first.  But thats what the two old Beeks do, so thats how we're starting out.
They assemble new frames during the early winter and let them "cure" and then add wire or rewire come early spring.  Then put on their  foundation as needed.
They both use home made frame wiring jigs.  I borrowed one and copied it as best I could.  It worked pretty well.

[Michael Bush]

>But all the books i have read say to put the 2 frames with emerging bees ,food stores to the side and a frame of foundation atotal of five ,and then introduce your mated queen or virgin,
Ido not have any spare queens of my own ,so how do i go about making nucs without?

Let them make their own.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beessplits.htm#walkaway