starting a hive from a nuc

[bulldog]

i'm a new beekeeper and therefore very inexperienced at this, so i was wondering. about how long does it take for a nuc to really start to get into a groove so to speak ? i'm sure that no two nucs are the same and there are a lot of variables involved, but i'm just kinda looking for a ballpark figure. i'm really concerned about them putting away enough to get them through the winter. any insight is greatly appreciated, thanks.

[iddee]

In NC, from April to May, or from July to April. That's not a smart answer, it's the truth. A nuc will likely not make it here if started after June 30, unless it is fed all summer, fall, and winter.

[BjornBee]

They may or may not put away enough for the winter.

They need two things to get through winter.

1) Enough young bees raised in Sept to carry the hive through.

2) Enough stores so they do not starve.

You as beekeeper can control one, and can not control (so to speak) the other.

My summer nucs will either be built up into a double five frame nuc, called a 5 over 5. Or will be placed into a ten frame deep. If they build beyond that, great. If they do not, the most important thing is that they raise brood starting sometime in August, and keep raising brood for about 60 days.

If they need feed come fall. I simply place 25 pounds of foundant directly on the inner cover, which equals slightly less than a super in actual feed, and they will carry through till late winter/early spring. When bees are not actively raising brood, it really is far less feed required as you might think.

My main point is that many times at this point of the season, they may stop making comb all together. And then they back fill the brood chamber to the point that the queen has no place to lay once they want to start again come early fall. So do not get all excited if they do not fill out a second box. If they do, and they just might depending on the flow in your area, then that's fine also. You can always give them all the feed they require in a moments notice. And unless they have plenty of stores already, the chances of you feeding at some point is almost a given with the flows of recent falls.

I do not gauge my bees by the weight they have going into fall. I gauge them by the brood they raise. I can always put weight on them. I can not raise brood for them.

And this is the time of the year that for all those using wax foundation, the bees are going to be chewing those wire bare.  :-D

[bulldog]

so basically you're saying i need to feed them from now until spring ? even if there are nectar sources available ? because right now it seems like they are concentrating on the flowers and ignoring the feeder, albeit they are not completely ignoring it.

[iddee]

I was speaking of my area. We have no flow in July or Aug. You may do better in New Jersey.

[FRAMEshift]

I was speaking of my area. We have no flow in July or Aug. You may do better in New Jersey.

Just when and how strong is the North Carolina Fall flow?  Mostly goldenrod or is there something else that's important? Our hives are about 50 miles East of you.

[iddee]

Main flow is March thru June. Fall flow is Sept. and Oct., and usually weak.