Queens coming, poor weather for nucs

[tedh]

Hi Everyone,
We have queens to pick up on Thursday the 19th to use in nucs we will pull.  The trouble is the weather.  Thursday's high is predicted to be 51°F.  Friday the 20th the temp is predicted to be 54°F.  It appears that the temps will slowly warm to the mid 60's by the middle of the following week.  Do we dare to try keeping the caged and mated queens in the cupboard (where we keep queens over night or so) for 5 or 6 days?  The queens have probably been in the the cage for 2-3 days prior to our pick up date.  Any thoughts or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.  Ted

[Perry]

I have seen queens kept in cages for slightly over a week, but the sooner you can get them on comb the better. Anything over 50 F I would probably just go ahead and install unless it was windy or raining.

[Bakersdozen]

tedh, I am in the same position.  I think we have the same storm system moving through here. We are supposed to break records tonight.  22 degrees predicted.
I feel it is very detrimental to the queen to be held outside of a colony.  I always try to install as soon as possible.
Friday, when the temp was 82, I did a split and picked up 2 queens.  I waited 24 hours to install the queen.  Probably not the best idea. Yesterday the temp high was 40 and very windy.  I slipped the queen cage in my pocket and very quickly tucked her in between the frames.  They greeted her and I closed the hive up.  They will take care of her and keep her warm in there.
I am still holding the second queen in the house and hoping Monday is a better day.  Today it's 28 and snow.   Periodically, I am putting a drop of water on the cage screen and there is candy for her and the attendants.
The long range forecast for, KC calls, for more bad weather moving in next Friday.
It's a challenge.  I know people picking up bee packages today! 

[tedh]

Thanks Guys!

I have seen queens kept in cages for slightly over a week, but the sooner you can get them on comb the better. Anything over 50 F I would probably just go ahead and install unless it was windy or raining.

Perry, can I open hives, pull frames and make up nucs at 50*F if it's not raining or windy?

Bakers, yeah boy.  The average high for today is 66*F!  It's snowing to beat the band right now.  The queens I'm going to pick up are part of a shipment of packages.  I'm kind of at a loss here.  I can't un-order them but would rather not kill them and possibly some nucs too.  On a side note: I usually plant tomatoes out in the garden in 2 weeks time.  Strange weather.  Ted

[apisbees]

If the weather is better in the days before the queens arrive then split the colonies early so all you have to do is put the queen in the hive. you do not want to be splitting hive when it is only 50 deg.
Banking queens in a hive so the bees look after them they can control the temperature, humidity and feed the queen better than we can.

[tedh]

Thanks Apis.  The weather is going to be like this for the next week or so then gradually get better.  My understanding of banking queens, as feeble as it is, would involve opening a hive and moving a frame or two of brood.  Am I wrong in this?

[moebees]

With the weather we have been having in northern Illinois I would consider 54 to be a warm front.

[apisbees]

make up a frame to hold the queen cages.
then go into a hive and pull a strong nuc 4 frames of brood and bees to cover 7 frames. slide the frame with the queens in between the brood frames. save the last queen to be released in the queen bank once the others have been hived. this way you only need to disturb one colony while it is cold