Boosting nuc numbers

biggraham610 · August 13, 2015, 05:10:41 PM

Made 2 nucs, moved em to a different yard, apparently all the flyers drifted to one, leaving the other light on bees. Both queens are released. What is the best and safest way to add bees to the light hive. Other than a frame of capped brood, I don't think there are enough bees to cover another frame. Thanks. G

Dallasbeek · August 13, 2015, 11:21:29 PM

Nurse bees on a frame of brood will stay where you put them, since they haven't taken their orientation hive. Does that help any at all?

biggraham610 · August 14, 2015, 12:35:07 AM

Yeah, I figured that but it always seems when i make up nucs I think I have all nurse bees and end up with foragers as well. So, my main concern was, knowing the light hive was all nurses, I added bees with brood, and transferred some foragers, they may cause trouble. I considered just adding capped brood but was concerned about not having bees to cover it, its been in the lower 60s at night, I have since been told that they should be fine. I guess that will be my approach. G

Eric Bosworth · August 14, 2015, 06:12:28 AM

If you add a frame of brood you will get a lot more bees when they emerge.

TRAPPUN · August 20, 2015, 09:59:45 PM

Simple way I deal with it is just swap locations of the nucs. Move the light give into the strong nuc location. They will balance out.

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chux · August 21, 2015, 10:38:06 AM

Quote from: TRAPPUN on August 20, 2015, 09:59:45 PM
Simple way I deal with it is just swap locations of the nucs. Move the light give into the strong nuc location. They will balance out.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is good advice.

Anybrew2 · August 21, 2015, 06:33:54 PM

I did exactly that, swapped the positions of of two hives and the returning Bee's killed the Queen from the weak hive.
Maybe just unlucky

biggraham610 · August 21, 2015, 11:22:50 PM

That was my concern. Need to go in tomorrow and be sure none of my hives are making swarm preps....... strange year...... I will rob a frame of emerging brood. Thanks all. G

sc-bee · August 22, 2015, 07:15:41 AM

Maybe a little info you can use here...some may apply, some don't

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Px93qlq340&list=PL6EED6684E5F97742&index=3

jalentour · August 22, 2015, 10:16:28 PM

Seal off your weak hive.
Take it back to the original apiary. Shake in more nurse bees from your larger hives. Reseal.
Return the nuc to your nuc yard and unseal.

It's a good idea to separate your nucs from the mother hive when you can.

TRAPPUN · August 25, 2015, 03:12:19 PM

Quote from: Anybrew2 on August 21, 2015, 06:33:54 PM
I did exactly that, swapped the positions of of two hives and the returning Bee's killed the Queen from the weak hive.
Maybe just unlucky

That is unlucky. I have made this move so many times I can't even put a rough number to it. Never have I had returning bees kill a queen. I can't think why they would have any reason to want to either? I have also released a mated queen directly into the hive numerous times after removing theirs and Never had the new one killed. May want to look further into what really happened to the queen.

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Anybrew2 · August 25, 2015, 05:59:50 PM

It surprised me too Trappun, I found the queen killed and thrown out the front. My only thought is that it was too weak and the returning forages outnumber the occupants. Who in turn were overwhelmed.

biggraham610 · August 25, 2015, 09:05:02 PM

I gave em a solid frame of capped/ emerging brood, and a drawn frame to fill out the box, they exploded and the queen is now laying across 4 frames. Thanks. G

jalentour · August 27, 2015, 01:21:30 AM

By the way. I don't care what the Fat Bee Man says about nucs 12 feet away from the mother hive.
I have watched nucs next to the mother hive march right back into their old hive and abandon the nuc. Why take a chance? Move the nuc away from the established hives as far as you can, you can return them to your apiary later.
In his video he doesn't say what he does with the nuc after the nurse bee go inside. I bet he moves them more than 12 feet away.
Just sayin.

sc-bee · August 27, 2015, 03:46:03 AM

Not one too take up for fat beeman but I have been there three times. His bee are pretty much confined to his yard and lots of them. I imagine he spits often and don't move much further than 12 ft. My memory not as good as it used to bee but his bee yard may be 1 to 1.5 acre or so. At least from what I recall. But I have never tried his method. I prefer to move them away.

AR Beekeeper · August 27, 2015, 11:25:13 AM

Anybrew2; Over the years I have tried swapping locations 3 time and lost the queens each time. I would rather add frames of brood or shake young bees, or both.

Michael Bush · August 27, 2015, 12:00:12 PM

In 40 years I've never put a split in another yard. Shake some extra bees in from brood combs. It's too much work to haul bees all over kingdom come.

biggraham610 · August 27, 2015, 12:23:19 PM

Mine have usually all stayed too. From the back of the house to the front. Or, just a few feet away at the main yard. Sometimes I will make one at the other yard and bring it to the house just to be sure that a purchased queen is accepted, but if I am letting them make their own, I want them where the best drones are. Which seems to be my main yard at the farm. G

chux · August 28, 2015, 07:36:46 AM

Quote from: AR Beekeeper on August 27, 2015, 11:25:13 AM
Anybrew2; Over the years I have tried swapping locations 3 time and lost the queens each time. I would rather add frames of brood or shake young bees, or both.

I have swapped location a couple of times, and both times it worked. I have heard other beeks with tons of experience say they swap locations successfully. So we know it works. We also know it has not worked for everybody. I think this is one of those things that works for most people most of the time, but not everybody all of the time. Nearly everything you do has some risk involved. Point is, we share our experiences so that we can all make more informed decisions. Good deal!!

BeeGinningBeek · September 02, 2015, 02:25:56 PM

is there a way to make splits without foragers? just so the foragers go back to their old hive...