Over-Wintering Nucs
Over-Wintering NucsGrant F. C.
[email protected]
BenefitsOverwintering nucs cheaper than buying nucsDont need
purchased queens in the spring
Your queens, optimally produced, acceptedYour bees, locally
adapted stock
Live nucs ready to fill winter dead outs (hives)Nucs to sell to
others (cash flow)
Best Three Reasons
Price (not free)
Availability
Quality
The TrickEnough Bee Bodies to keep cluster warmEnough stores to
provide fuel to keep warm
With limited space, where is the balance between the two?
The ProcessQueen Rearing - June 23Making up the nucs -July
21Preparing for winter - September 1
Preparing for Winter Sept 1st
Fall flow begins around September 1stFall flow lasts 3 to 4
weeks into SeptemberWill feed 2:1 sugar syrup until they wont take
anymore, around ChristmasIf Im smart.add a candy board
I want two brood cycles prior to fall flow (42 days)
Making up the nucs July 21stMake nucs 42 days prior to September
1stTwo or three frames brood, drawn comb mated QsOr, adding more
frames to my mating nucs my Qs
Take a two-deep colony and allocate frames (leave existing queen
in one nuc, make three)
Laying queen on July 21st Nectar dearth feed 1:1 syrup
Best way to introduce queenWhen purchasing a mated, caged
queenMake a nuc in the middle of the day (nurse bees)Screen
entrance for 24 hoursAdd queen in the cageLeave attendants with the
queen, if anyDo not remove the corks protecting sugar plugAfter
four days, manually release the queen
Queen Rearing June 23rdGoal: Mated queen in the nuc on July
21stQueen rearing begins 28 days earlierStart queen rearing on June
23rd
NICOT queen rearing kitMating nucs two frames of open brood
Positive: queens mated after the summer solstice lay longer
going into winter (Mel Disselkoen)
The ProcessQueen Rearing - June 23Making up the nucs -July
21Preparing for winter - September 1
Problems and ChallengesFeeding during a dearth robbing (no
HBH)Set nucs in a separate yard (also make feeding easier)
Small Hive Beetles love small coloniesQueenless or new queen
issues beetle problems
Queen rearing and mating in mid-summer less successful than
swarm season in early May
Another Challenge Optimal Winter Too Nice
Winter--+----------+----------+-----------+-----------+----------+----
10 20 30 40 50 60
Stores last longerMore activeClustered upStores
consumedPotential freezingPotential starvation**little cool for
syrup
Candy Board1 cup of water, heat to steaming/low boil5 pounds of
sugar, bring to a boil, stir oftenAdd a splash of lemon juice or
vinegarCook until clear (260) then remove from heatLet it cool a
little (230) stir vigorouslyPour into feeding rim or waxed paper
lined cake pan
How I cook candy boards
Sugar Cakes/Bricks25# Sugar1 quart apple cider
vinegar---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12
cups sugar1 cup
water-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1
tablespoon water per 1 lb. sugar
Stir and blend completely, press into mold, let sit overnight in
a warm, dry place, feed!
How I mix sugar cakes/bricks
How I mix sugar cakes/bricks
How I mix sugar cakes/bricks
Tamp and pack heavily
Score to break up after drying
Quest for the perfect OW NucSuccess still elusiveLosing too many
nucsHow to increase survivorship
How do I streamline my work load and time management?
CellaringDevoted room or closet nucs can be stackedTemperature
constant at 40 Total darknessAir exchange, indirect
ventilationEntrances left open
Benefit: minimal honey consumptionStress-free living due to
constant temperature
Insulated nuc box 2 pink foam
ResultsDisaster!Possums and raccoons roll them over
Possible revisions--Build a plywood box to go around it--Use the
foam inside a Langstroth hive body
Back to realityI now overwinter regular hivesMake my nucs in the
spring with a reverse split
Innovative Beekeeping
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