Double nuc experience?

[Knucs]

Looking @ some older posts, I see some have tried double nucs.  How has your experience been?

[Perry]

Do you mean  5 over 5, or side by?
I have done 5 over 5 for 2 winters now here in Nova Scotia with pretty decent results.

[Knucs]

Good to hear.  I was initially thinking side by side, with 4 over 4, but am interested in the 5 over 5 too, as I'll be doing that as well.

[Bakersdozen]

I am a lot farther south than you, but I have over wintered 5 over 5 with success.

[Knucs]

Glad to hear baker.  How do you use Nucs in your beekeeping?  Any tips on managing them? 

[brooksbeefarm]

I like the 5 over 5 deeps to over winter, if i start them to early i have to keep a close eye on them to keep them from getting honey bound or over populated or they will swarm. If i have a good laying queen in one, i will take frames of brood from her to build up slower nucs or weaker hives. I start nucs in the spring and have them all summer just in case i loose a queen in one of my hives,sadly i never made up enough this year, i had several queen losses. Good luck with your winter nucs, to me it's just a toss of the coin on there survival. Jack

[Knucs]

So Brooks, your Nucs don't survive the winter as well as your standard hives?  Do you put them tight to each other to help share  heat?

[brooksbeefarm]

Knucs, no i don't, but probably should? Our winters aren't as harsh as yours are. The weather has changed a lot in the past several years, back when i was growing up from the last week in Oct. to last of March it was cold winter time, nowaday it most times don't get real cold till Jan.? Then we have cold spells fpllowed by warm till middle of April which i think the bees fly on 50f and up days with nothing to gather, come back hungry and deplete there stores after several days or weeks of warm, cold, warm, cold, the workers die off and the nuc gets weak and the queen won't lay anymore eggs than the cluster can cover. So if i don't catch it quick enough and start feeding they will freeze or dwindle. JMO Jack

[Knucs]

What kind of bee do you run, probably mutt, but mostly of italian heretige maybe?

[brooksbeefarm]

Mutts mainly, butt when i buy queens i buy Carniolans,been giving some thought about trying Russians again now that they have some of the meanest bred out of them? I've heard good and bad about them? some say they are not good honey producers and i've heard others say they are? guess i'll have to find out my self. Jack

[Knucs]

Brooks, I thought maybe you had Italians cause they're known for larger population in winter & not being frugal with stores.  Ya, I like my carnies, got some Russian mixes (haven't had them long enuf to have an opinion yet) and just got some Caucasians.
I was just on another group site and this old experienced beek was saying how his Nucs come out of winter better than his standard colonies.  That's beekeeping!  I'm gearing up to sell nucs next year, locally raised, cold hardy mutts.

[brooksbeefarm]

Haven't seen or heard of the Caucasian queens or bees in a long time,had some back in the 60's, they were easy to work with and good honey producers. They are or was bad about propolis building, i have broke frames apart trying to inspect hives because they propolized everything together. I think they would make a SHB's life miserable. Jack

[Knucs]

   SHB.  Ya, they're supposed to be 'sticky' bees, I plan on harvesting propolis.  Supposed to be frugal, over winter well, & be gentle, should be a great addition for my planned mutts.  I notice when a couple  hives were being bothered by small ants, they sure got sticky.  Sometimes I wonder if 'man' has bred out some beneficial traits from some strains of bees as propolis is supposed to have many beneficial aspects for the hive.