Author Topic: Let's Talk Nucs Splits or Divides (Read 16391 times)

Jen · « **on:** March 13, 2015, 12:54:36 am »

I've had several suggestions on how to tame my hot hive. Pulling a nuc is at the top of the list. I read back a few pages on this forum, but the process of nuc making and managing is more in puzzle pieces. I believe I will be making a med nuc, in a med hive body. This is what I want to learn this spring ~ let's leave out splits on this thread please

robo · « **Reply #1 on:** March 13, 2015, 06:49:24 am »

Quote from: Jen on March 13, 2015, 12:54:36 am

~ let's leave out splits on this thread please

How do you make a nuc without a split?

tecumseh · « **Reply #2 on:** March 13, 2015, 06:49:37 am »

reducing the population somewhat can have the tendency to make a hive more humble. If you have one queen excluder the easiest process is to follow the doolittle process of nuc making.... remove one or two nucs from the 'queenless' part of the box and when you do this have mated queen ready to install. if you are keeping these nucs at the same location then bee tight equipment is essential and installing the new queens into their box and keeping them totally shut in in a 'cool and dark place' are good practices to follow.

Ray4852 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 13, 2015, 07:45:11 am »

Jen

follow my simple instructions on how to make a simple nuc. Its so easy anybody can do it. I think you are a little afraid making a mistake. Take out 3 frames of mix brood from your strong hive. One frame of honey and one frame of pollen. Put in a cadge mated queen. Start feeding megabee, and protect the nuc with a robbing screen.

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #4 on:** March 13, 2015, 09:10:55 am »

I guess I will have to agree with Ray4852 here. It is simple...

The short version;
If you have a couple of strong hives, pull 4 frames of mixed brood, pollen and honey along the top edge, as well as the adhering bees,add a drawn frame and put them in the nuc box. Move them to another yard, or partially block the entrance, wait 12 to 20 hours, install queen cell or queen cage. Come back in a week and check for eggs.

http://www.outyard.net/nucleus-hives.html
The LONG version can be found there as well.

iddee · « **Reply #5 on:** March 13, 2015, 09:13:32 am »

All the above works well, but I am a firm believer in moving the queen and putting the new queen in the original hive, ESPECIALLY when trying to calm an aggressive hive as Jen is trying to do.

tbonekel · « **Reply #6 on:** March 13, 2015, 10:27:46 am »

Yeah, nuc for me as well. But for me, I'm not going to purchase a new queen. I want them to make their own. I really like the genetics of this queen that I have. So I was going to do it yesterday, but didn't have a flashlight and the sun wasn't really out so I couldn't see any eggs, But there was young larvae everywhere. I never could find the queen so I closed it up and will try again another time. I think I want to keep the existing queen in the original hive and just move eggs, larvae and food to the nuc. I know that there will need to be drones in my area for her to mate. We will just have to see what happens.

Jen · « **Reply #7 on:** March 13, 2015, 01:03:37 pm »

Robo- "How do you make a nuc without a split?

Ummm, I dunno...

I thought a split was litterally 'split in half', like 5 frames removed from the original hive. But then I read about light nucs? That's why I want to learn nucs.. THEN, I'll learn splits. Are they the same thing?

Papakeith · « **Reply #8 on:** March 13, 2015, 04:13:19 pm »

I'd still consider it a split

Jen · « **Reply #9 on:** March 13, 2015, 04:18:42 pm »

Okay. In my case I want to calm this hot hive...Now! I'm not going to be able to buy a mated queen until probably the end of May. So, if I remove the queen and put her in the nuc, I'll have to let the original hive make their own queen, that will be a month or more in waiting. However, that process isn't going to take any longer than waiting for May and a new mated queen.

So, if I can't find a queen to buy right now, I'll have to let the original hive make a new queen.

It's still pretty early I'll just have to adjust to the fact that they won't be able to make as much honey.

So Pete, you consider a nuc and a split the same thing?

Question: I've heard the term 'light nuc', is there such a thing?

Scenario: I have moved 3 frames of brood, one frame of honey, and one frame of pollen to my waiting medium, which is on a bottom board, and has a lid. I wait at least 23 days to see if new queen is mated and laying.

Now, what do I do with this nuc?

1. I can sell it
2. I can keep adding frames as needed to make an new hive for myself
3. When the new queen in the original hive is up and running, I can combine

Thoughts?

iddee · « **Reply #10 on:** March 13, 2015, 05:45:18 pm »

Scenario: I have moved 3 frames of brood, one frame of honey, and one frame of pollen, "AND THE QUEEN" to my waiting medium,"plus 5 empty frames" which is on a bottom board, and has a lid. I wait at least 23 days to see if new queen is mated and laying.

1. I can sell it YES
2. I can keep adding BOXES as needed to make an new hive for myself YES
3. When the new queen in the original hive is up and running, I can combine YES

Jen · « **Reply #11 on:** March 13, 2015, 05:59:00 pm »

YES! Thank you Mr. Wizard kisshugpatpatpat, I love it when I get it right... OR when I just plain Get It! LOL

GLOCK · « **Reply #12 on:** March 13, 2015, 07:09:41 pm »

Running nucs is a good time plus u have lots of brood most times. I run all deeps and stack them as high as 4 boxs.

I run them all year long . Spring /summer /fall/and winter.

Summer is a great time to play with nuc's .

Nucs are great brood builders and make comb fast . And making splits . i set my splits right on top the mother hive

Jen i know alittle about managing nucs if oyu have any questions do ask. One big thing they build fast and swarm in a blink of a eye.
I sold 12 nucs this spring so there's always some thing you can do with nucs. Plus lots of queens.

Just showing off my nucs. I have 16 coming out of winter 31 hives total only lost 1.

Jen · « **Reply #13 on:** March 13, 2015, 07:26:06 pm »

Wow! That is quite the production there Glock

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #14 on:** March 13, 2015, 07:30:44 pm »

I am with Glock.. I have more fun with the nucs than I do the regular hives.. You need to keep inspections to a minimum on production hives, but the Nucs you NEED to be in to manage them, keep their population low enough to prevent swarming etc. Swap in new frames for them to draw etc..
I am looking forward to having more nucs this year than last.

Jen · « **Reply #15 on:** March 13, 2015, 07:40:44 pm »

Scott, if you go all mediums, how do you assemble a med nuc? I remember the board that you put up against your nucs...?

iddee · « **Reply #16 on:** March 13, 2015, 08:28:27 pm »

What is a nuc? If I have a 10 frame deep hive and put it in two 5 frame boxes, does that change it to a nuc?

tbonekel · « **Reply #17 on:** March 13, 2015, 10:51:00 pm »

Quote from: iddee on March 13, 2015, 08:28:27 pm

What is a nuc? If I have a 10 frame deep hive and put it in two 5 frame boxes, does that change it to a nuc?

I think that makes it a duplex?

Jen · « **Reply #18 on:** March 13, 2015, 10:54:00 pm »

ooooh tbone... I was gazing out the window contemplating What Is A Nuc... when that came on.

Idee, been contemplating... I think the answer is Yes! It would make it two nucs ~

pistolpete · « **Reply #19 on:** March 14, 2015, 01:36:17 am »

I had a lot of fun with Nucs last year. A Nuc is a nucleus colony, kind of like a seed that will grow into a full hive quite quickly. Nucs can be as small as one frame of brood and a couple of frames of mixed stores, or as big as 5 frames of brood and a couple of frames of stores. The standard Nuc offered for sale around here has 2 frames of solid brood, a frame of solid honey, and a frame of solid pollen (or any combination of mixed honey/brood/pollen frames that equals that). A premium priced Nuc should be overflowing with bees at the time of sale and ready to move into a 10 frame box.

Here are some important things that I learned:
1: Full size hives raise better queens than Nucs because they have more resources and better temperature regulation. So it's better to give the Nuc the queen and let the parent hive raise a new one.
2: Strong Nucs build up fast, weak Nucs take a month or more to get going. If you want a new hive, start strong. If you want to bank a queen, start light.
3: Nucs don't stay small long. Don't plan on leaving them in a Nuc box for more than 3 weeks or they will likely swarm.
4: Nucs are easy to inspect. They tend to be quite docile and I usually just mist them with a bit of water instead of smoking them.
5: Nucs are susceptible to robbing, reduce the entrance to about 1/2"x1/2"
6: NUcs do better with feeding. They are generally speaking light on foragers and heavy on nurse bees because most of the foragers wander off to their old hive.
7: If you make a Nuc from a very strong hive, two weeks later you will have a Nuc and a strong hive. If you make a Nuc from a weak hive, you will have a Nuc and a hive that struggles for the rest of the year.