# How many nucs to overwinter?



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I've lost most of the nucs I've tried to overwinter for the last two years. How many do you want to risk?


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## AndrewSchwab (Dec 9, 2005)

I would suggest to start out with a few the first year. That way you can see what works or doesn't what do you need to adjust as far as timing etc etc...


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## peggjam (Mar 4, 2005)

Well, you really need to think about how you are going to winter them to answer that question. There are many different ways, and all require some work to set up. There's a guy in Vermont who winters them in four nuc packs, there's a guy in Neb who winters them under styrofoam insulation, and there's a guy in NY that is not going to attempt wintering them inside without major changes as to metheods. So pick how you are going to winter them, and then deciede how many it will take to do this. I would plan on the smallest number to achive the wintering plan for the first year.


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

I overwintered one nuc and an OB hive last winter. I placed them on the second floor of an unheated garage. The OB hive was a three frame (2 deeps and a medium), and the nuc was a standard 5 frame. Neither was very strong going into winter, but I was able to put feed on them several times throughout the winter (particularly mild winter last year). Both survived. The nuc came into spring as nearly my strongest hive, and the OB hive was promoted to a nuc early in the spring. Of course VA is milder than NJ, and they did have protection from winds and got some thermal gain from being upstairs in the garage. If I were to try further north, I'd start small (maybe two nucs) and really shoot for making sure that they got plenty of shelter from winds and had good stores of honey.


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## Finman (Nov 5, 2004)

No problem with 5 nucs. 

It depends how big are your hives now. It they are tiny they need their own brood but if they are all 4-5 boxes you may split in two part after yiel. Just good queens inside.

It depends too if you boxes are insulated or solid wood. Tar paper is not insulator, just cover. 

Have you afford to take nucs now or do you spoil this year yield? Who knows if you not.

When yield is over you may take brood frames from big hives for winter.


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## CWBees (May 11, 2006)

I am going to try and overwinter at least 2 nucs. I am going to place both nucs on top of one of my hives and each will have a nuc body on top of it giving them 10 deep frames each. I currently have a split with a Russian queen cell which will be one of the nucs and I have another nuc wih a Russian queen I purchased. I heard the Russian bees are good at only having the minimum bees they need going into winter so do well in an overwintered nuc since they are better at coserving their stores.


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## livetrappingbymatt (Jan 13, 2006)

single deep hives w/insulated covers and top entrances started now ( july) will build strong by winter in up state ny. the snow helps to insulate them. in the spring these have proven to be my best hives of the year.
bob


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## peggjam (Mar 4, 2005)

I've started some as late as middle of Aug and had them winter, but this only works if there is a really good goldenrod flow.


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## ainsof (Dec 27, 2005)

peggjam:

When overwintering nucs, do they have to be placed above a larger hive, or can they be overwintered on their own (with ample stores and feeding)?


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## peggjam (Mar 4, 2005)

"When overwintering nucs, do they have to be placed above a larger hive, or can they be overwintered on their own (with ample stores and feeding)?"

Been a big debate on that one. I prefer to winter my nucs seperate from hives, simiply because of moisture issues. The way I am thinking of wintering nucs is this:

Build a stand that will hold the number of nucs you wish to winter. Slide them tight together, put on a candy board in case they run out of stores before spring. Then go completely around them, top, bottom and sides with 1" or 2" celotex foam insulation, leaving a small bottom hole, and a small top hole that doesn't hit the cluster directly. Then hope and pray they make it. I haven't tried this before, so this will be a new experiment for me.


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## Hook (Jun 2, 2002)

I overwintered 5 nucs last year. They were five frames each. I was amazed that they made it. My nucs are made out of 3/8 plywood! I lost 4 of them in March, di to my own stupidity. They starved to death. It can be done. Make sure you have good numbers going in, and that the varroa count is very very low. Also be sure that they have lots of honey. Then, in the spring, be sure to feed them! I could have another 4 hives right now, that probably would have made some fall honey for me..


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## Finman (Nov 5, 2004)

More inportant than to get nuc over winter is to get them develope after wintering. Too small nucs are very laborous to keep. By the help of bigger hives they arise in spring. 

5-frame nucs are minimum which I recommend to keep over winter. I have wintered here 2-frame nucs in firewood shelter by the help of 3 W terrarium heater but it means that nuc has only value of queen.


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## Mabe (Mar 22, 2005)

Last winter here in zone 4 Wisconsin I had two nukes come out strong over a 3 polystyrene deep colony. The nukes were in a deep divided down the middle and over a screen board over the colony. Polystyrene top with a liner of radiant foil foam cut to fit and pushed into the top. Inner covers on my hives are window screens with 1/16" cork spacers on top of corners. Screened bottom boards so there is lots of ventilation. The whole thing gets wrapped in black breathable landscape fabric. I think ventilation may be the key here....at least in the far north. Might also have been beginners luck


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## CWBees (May 11, 2006)

I checked my 2 Russian nucs yesterday and they are both very strong but one a little more than the other it is really loaded with bees. Each nuc is made up of 2 deep nuc supers so 10 frames to each nuc. Should I overwinter the nucs in the current configuration or do you think I could split each nuc and let them raise a queen giving me 4 five frame nucs?


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## Jeff McGuire (Nov 18, 2005)

CWBees I don't think there is enough time for them to raise a new queen and get well enough established before winter. It would take about 28 days for a new queen to hatch and start laying, then 21 for the first workers to hatch whitch takes you into mid November. I would leave the nucs as is they sound very strong and will have a better chance of survival than splitting them and having more weak ones. See Michael Bush's site for bee math http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm


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## CWBees (May 11, 2006)

I did not split my nucs. I figured it was too late in the season for them to raise queens. Thanks for the advice. MB has a great site and is a real help mang. my bees.

[ September 23, 2006, 07:05 PM: Message edited by: CWBees ]


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesmath.htm


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