best way to add bees to a Nuc

[pistolpete]

I have a Nuc that is pretty small.  I had to take out a couple of frames to provide other hives with eggs.  Now the Nuc has just two frames covered with bees.  I know that's enough to survive, but I don't want them to take a couple of months to take going.  So I want to add some bees.   If I add brood, there may not be enough bees to cover it.  I'm worried that if I add bees they will fight, or ball the queen.   So a few techniques come to mind:
  1: shake bees into a box on top of the inner cover, let them wander down.
  2: Same as above, but spray all the bees with sugar water.
  3: introduce a frame of brood with all attendant  bees straight into the Nuc and let them sort it out.
  4: ? you tell me.

[DonMcJr]

How about a frame of capped brood from another hive?

[pistolpete]

besause there are not enough bees in the Nuc to keep the brood warm till they hatch.

[Riverrat]

move a frame of nurse bees and brood over from another hive. Make sure you don't move the queen with them. A week hive like that there shouldnt be any fighting

[LazyBkpr]

I pulled a frame from a hive that had two uncapped queen cells on it. The hive was not particularly strong, so am unsure why they are starting queen cells. brood pattern looked good etc...   Anyhow, when i got home I added two frames of brood with nurse bees and set them up...




   In a week I will add another frame of brood with nurse bees.  I have never had a fight when doing this. I think, even robber bees wander clear through the hive once they are past the guard bees.

[riverbee]

pete, #3....
what riverrat and scott said, brood and nurse bees only. like rat said there should be no fighting among them.

[Woody Roberts]

#3
Done it several times. Never had an issue.

[pistolpete]

I went with the advice.   Ironically, the nicest frame to give them was the one I took out of the Nuc a few days ago.   It was one that I had notched, so it had several uncapped queen cells on it, which I had to destroy.  Since there are a couple of capped Queen cells in the parent hive I figured these younger cells were dead no matter what.    I did take the extra step of misting the bees with sugar water.    It's been a super interesting  few days for me, experimenting with the OTS.  Sure I had bumps along the way, but it's been fun and educational.

  From my strongest hive I now have two Nucs (one with the old queen and one raising their own).    From my second strongest hive I pulled a Nuc and sold it to a friend and they are now raising a new queen.   My weakest hive I left alone, but in a two weeks It will be strong enough to give me another Nuc.  Since that weakest hive was not very productive I will re-queen it with a purchased queen and hope for an improvement.    I can see how making new colonies can be a bit addictive.  It's certainly easier than extracting honey for sale.

[Perry]

I went with the advice.   Ironically, the nicest frame to give them was the one I took out of the Nuc a few days ago.   It was one that I had notched, so it had several uncapped queen cells on it, which I had to destroy.  Since there are a couple of capped Queen cells in the parent hive I figured these younger cells were dead no matter what.    I did take the extra step of misting the bees with sugar water.    It's been a super interesting  few days for me, experimenting with the OTS.  Sure I had bumps along the way, but it's been fun and educational.

  From my strongest hive I now have two Nucs (one with the old queen and one raising their own).    From my second strongest hive I pulled a Nuc and sold it to a friend and they are now raising a new queen.   My weakest hive I left alone, but in a two weeks It will be strong enough to give me another Nuc.  Since that weakest hive was not very productive I will re-queen it with a purchased queen and hope for an improvement.    I can see how making new colonies can be a bit addictive.  It's certainly easier than extracting honey for sale.

No more getting up at night to move hives for pollination, no more buying cases upon cases of jars, etc. (I make and sell nucs now). 
Money up front, rotation of comb = 

[LazyBkpr]

All right you two.. STOP giving away secrets!!  Your gonna put us all out of business!!   

[apisbees]

Especially when you live in a area that has a warm early spring with early colony build up, and a low average honey crop because of droughts and lack of forage.

[robo]

Easiest way to add a "bee boost" to a nuc is swap it's location with a stronger nuc.   Field bees will return to their old location (new hive) loaded with pollen/nectar and will be welcomes by the guard bees.  They slowly trickle in and will not threaten the queen.