Are My Nucs Ready To Sell?

[Jen]

This week I pulled two nucs. One deep nuc, and one medium nuc. Each has 4 frames of capped brood, larva, eggs. The wintered queen. And one frame of pulled wax for the queen to continue laying in. Been feeding them for a couple days.

What else do I need to do to get them ready for sale?

[tedh]

Do they have hiney and pollen in there?  If so, and you're sure the queen is laying, I'd say good to go. Ted

[Jen]

Well Ted, now I'm over thinking ~ I wasn't actually looking for honey and pollen.

So... If the frames I have in there don't have much honey and pollen, then I'll reduce the nuc down to 3 brood frames, a frame of food, and an empty frame.

[tedh]

That's my understanding Jen.  Three frames of brood, one frame of stores and one frame for the queen to lay in.  It seems to me there also needs to be enough bees to cover four(?) frames.  If memory serves me correctly, this is one of those topics that each beekeeper has their own idea about.  I've heard 2 or 3 frames of brood, 1 or 2 frames of stores, 1 undrawn frame. Or.......or........  Everybody is right, until you purchase a nuc that is sub-par.  You could ask Zweefer about that.  Please don't make a move based on anything I've said until others chime in. \  Ted

[Jen]

Now see! this is the way I was taught from this forum. But I was trying something different. And I haven't done this before... sold nucs. I want them to be ample with everything. So one of our mentors in my bee club, makes up 4 broods and an empty frame.

I dunno... I still feel like 3 real good frames of brood and yada yada.

Trust me Ted, I know that you have learned from the best, so I'm going to listen to you 

[tedh]

Please Jen, do us BOTH a favor, and wait for others.

[Jen]

Okay, I will... because you used the magic word

[neillsayers]

Jen,

Your brood frames should have honey and pollen on them also so I would bear that in mind when estimated available stores.

[Jen]

Hi Neil, yes there is that arc thing with the stores up in the corners. Eh hem, I didn't take that into consideration when picking the brood frames for nucs. This nuc thing is fun, but it's still quite a bit of memory work. So, I'll take a peak tomorrow and see where the stores are on the brood frames.

I have about a dozen extracted frames from last fall, those frames still have plenty of goods to keep them busy for a bit. As far as pollen placed in the nuc, it's coming in by the truck loads right now.