When can a nuc grow into larger boxes?

[TwoHoneys]

I have a double-decker nuc...two 5-frame medium nuc boxes stacked on top of one another.

Today I plan to inspect this nuc to make sure there's room, food, etc.

My questions:

1. At which point in the season should I transition this nuc into full-fledged hive boxes? I mean, when does a nuc grow up?
2. When I move the 5-frame nuc boxes into 8-frame supers, should I keep the frames configured just as they are in the nuc?...should I simply stack 2 8-frame medium boxes on top of one another and move the frames in the same configuration into them?  Or should I insert an empty frame to open the broodnest?

-Liz

[Vance G]

That entirely depends on the bees and the temperasture outside.  If you have ten frames of bees in your two story nuc, I would fill an eight frame and put the two extra in a second story in the middle.  You may just want to consolidate them into an eight frame single.  Less room to climate control if it won't over crowd the bees too much. 

[beyondthesidewalks]

I have SHB and one of my criterion for expanding a hive is not giving the bees more room to fight against SHB unless they're in a position to grow, fill and defend it.  So queen laying, a bunch of sealed brood and a flow going at the moment is a good time to expand the hive for me.  That makes the most critical jump that time when they've filled a bottom hive body and it's time to add a second.  They've got to boom and draw that comb and fill it quick to keep ahead of the SHB.  You can help them out and encourage them by giving them a frame or two of drawn comb in that new hive body.

[Michael Bush]

The general rule is when the bees have used up 80% of their room it's time to double the room... so if a five frame nuc is 80% full I would put them in a ten frame box (or an eight frame box and shortly another eight frame box).

[Finski]

The general rule is when the bees have used up 80% of their room it's time to double the room... so if a five frame nuc is 80% full I would put them in a ten frame box (or an eight frame box and shortly another eight frame box).

It goes in summer, but I looked the forecast of Ohio, it shows freezing point temperatures at night.
Bees cannot stand 150% enlargement above the cluster. If you put a new box under the cluster, it works keeps better the heat economy of the hive.

That is natural system. Winter cluster goes up and Spring brooding enlarges down

[Finski]

.
So you have 2 nucs above the big hive?

I would do so that I take them off.

First I check how much they have food and brood there. And what kind of brood, emerging, just capped, larvae and how many frames. Is there too much or too few food? Pollen enough?

When you add a frame of emerging bees there from big hive, in few days you get 2-3 frames more bees. Then move them to normal box and make a independent hive.

You may take another nuc away and let the another one be in normal box and take an advantage from big hives heat.

When a colony fills one box, it takes care itself. In Spring I allways give first enlargening box under the brood box.  As you see from forecast, day temp may be 10C and at night -1C. Bad Wind is one factor too.

[TwoHoneys]

Thanks for your help, friends...your input settles my brain when it comes to these things!

It was too cool to inspect the double-decker nuc yesterday...I'll do it today.

Finski: This nuc is not on top of a larger hive, so it does not benefit from the heat of another colony. I stacked two nuc boxes on top of one another, and they stand alone (I snuggled it between two full-blown hives for the winter). I like your suggestion...if they're out of room, I think I'll add a the new box beneath the cluster.

-Liz

[JP]

In addition to considering the 80% rule consider how many bees are supporting the colony as well. If there are wayyyy too many bees for the set up regardless of how much comb they've drawn, they may even need more room than just an extra box or they could gear to swarm.


...JP

[Finski]

.
Very difficult that 80%.  I have never used that rule. Colony restrict over brood area for night and loosens  when temp rises and bees start foraging. That makes surprises because bees do not often rise to upper box during next week.

To add third box is sometimes difficult in Spring. The upper box seems to really full, but when I lift the box, the first box is empty.

If the bees burst out from entrance, and the colony is boiling over, I add directly one up and another down.

[Michael Bush]

The US has had a very warm winter and a lot of hives are building up now.  If they are building and 80% full, I'd add some room before they swarm.

[Finski]

The US has had a very warm winter and a lot of hives are building up now.  If they are building and 80% full, I'd add some room before they swarm.

It has nothing to do with USA winter.  USA is from Florida to Alaska.
If nights have minus temperatures, cast away all 80% rules.
You just loose part of brood with those stupid rules which work from Florida to Alaska.

Englishmen teach me all the " look UK and Finland is diiferent". Sure like I have had not noticed it.
Hivemaker wrote that he starts to rear queens and I had las week -20C at night and half meter snow.

[Finski]

.
This week Anchorage forecast
sun night
-17 °C
next
-7 °C snow rain / night -15 °C
-5 day | nigh -16 °C
-2 day | night -11 °C

Jacksonville Florida  nights 15C ,  days  24C to 27C

[Michael Bush]

Cincinnati, Ohio today and for the next 10 days:
68 F mostly sunny
tonight:
52 F Rain
Tomorrow
64 F
Tuesday
70 F
Wed 75F
Thu 71 F
Fri 72 F
Sat 73 F
Sun 67 F
Mon 67 F
Tue 65 F

[TwoHoneys]

You guys are freaking me out with these weather reports.

Based on the trees that are already budding and the flowers that are blooming, I'd say our season is arriving 10-14 days earlier than in recent years.

That nuc's gonna become a full-fledged hive today.

-Liz

[CapnChkn]

We're doing splits around now.  Not all of us, but so far I have 2 confirmations on making splits around here and we're still getting ice on the chicken's water.

But you tell 'em Finski 'ol boy!

[Finski]

.
I see no sense in Spring splits. I try to get my hives to foraging condition as soon as possible to get tasty early yield. Splitting means  destroying foraging ability.

I made last summer so much nucs that I should join them.

But how to teach that to nervour beginner beeks. Impossible.

Hah hah, I did it my way. Who said that?

[KD4MOJ]

I love reading threads where Finski posts.  :-D

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

[Finski]

I love reading threads where Finski posts.  :-D

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

hah ha hah
international forum. Forget that inter.

USA  is to most writers what you see from window.  Great country , at least to next field corner.

Yes I know. Texas is 3 times that of Finland. Breaking ice from chicken water cup. Great idea too.

.

[CapnChkn]

From what they're telling me, the main flow is a month away.