# Permanent Indoor Ulster



## chr157y

I bought an Ulster in December and plan on keeping it as a permanent indoor observation hive. I haven't been able to find anyone else who has done this. When I ordered it from Brushy, the girl told me they kept one in their office with no problems. I just called again to ask them about it and the guy said the one in their office is empty and for display only.....? He said they recommend against keeping it permanently indoors......??? I'm not sure who was telling the truth. Anywho, I pick up packages on April 11th. One will be going in the Ulster. Any management recommendations? I plan on treating it like a back-up nuc (which I have also never done before), and am ok with taking it outside every 2 weeks to manage food and switching out frames. I'm just trying to figure out what I'm in for. Is there any easy way to refill their food other than opening it up completely? Should I put the feeder in the window to start with or should I leave it in the box? Once they're built up, should I leave them with 6 frames to work - 5 in the bottom and 1 in the top? I will only be closing them up for no more than 48 hours at a time periodically to take them to the kids school for presentations. During this time, I will be moving the queen into the upper chamber.


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## tech.35058

First, I am a relative newbie, take my advice with caution ....
From what I read the Ulster is just a 5 frame nuc with special top.
If you are getting 3 pound packages, that seems like a lot of bees for a nuc.
You don't say anything about outdoor access for the bees, like you plan to keep them indoors like an aquarium, or something. Confining the bees for a day or two at a time probably would be ok, but all the time, I don't think that's going to work.
Think "where do they poop?"
If I were going to set up a nuc as an observation hive, I think I would buy a small split from an established beekeeper, & be sure I had at least one empty frame so the bees would think they had room to grow, not be making swarm preparations due to crowding. I would plan on my observation nuc using frames of a common size with the rest of my hives , so that I could swap out a full frame for an empty one as needed.
I think I would put the nuc outside a window where I could watch them go about their business normally, and only pull a frame up to the observation area when "on display". Remember, bees like their hives nice & dark, but I do know of one indoor hive that is always on display. Keeping the frame feeder up there would probably be the correct plan for "not on display" configuration.
another disclaimer, I have never used a frame feeder either.
please let us know what you do, & how it works out.
good luck ... CE


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## gezellig

I'm anxious to hear what someone with experience has to say about this. I've been wondering myself. I've wanted to keep one, but I can't see how it would work for winter time when the inside of your house is warm, hence warming the observation hive. The bees wouldn't cluster or very little, and would think it warm outside, only to fly out into a blizzard or below optimum flying weather and drop dead.


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## chr157y

Thanks for the insight. They will certainly have access to the outside, through a clear tube. When we're not watching them, they will be covered by a wood pane and probably an additional piece of dark fabric. The Ulster actually comes with the the screen coverings that can be screwed into place with a removable screw. It's a wonderful design!

I also think that a 3 lb package is a little too much. I'll let the queen lay up the observation hive, and then switch out the frames with my outdoor hive. My current lang is empty- drawn frames, but no bees. I have a package ordered for that hive too. I'll be adding a deep to it this year, so I can easily swap the frames. Last year I ran all mediums. I have two extra empty nuc boxes too, so I will probably split the Ulster soon after they build it up. We'll see how it goes. This is a first for me, so I'll be learning as I go. I haven't been able to find anyone who keeps an Ulster indoors full time, which is probably very telling! lol. To give them more room, I've been thinking about supering the Ulster. I have medium 5 frame boxes ordered. Not sure how that would work......?

It is going to been an incredibly eclectic apiary. An outdoor, observation top bar, indoor nuc observation hive, an a full size outdoor lang. What a mess!


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## Michael Bush

I thought about trying it, but haven't. Partly I'm worried about how little I can tell about how it's doing...


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## tech.35058

chr157y said:


> Thanks for the insight. They will certainly have access to the outside, through a clear tube.


Clear tube will be problematic, I tried a claear tube for bees in another application. bees enter the tube, then try to fly toward the light.
Easy enough to fix, just put a dark cloth sleeve oover over it. slide it back to check bees in tube, thenspread it back out for "normal operation."
CE


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## EVW

I have a modified ulster hive that I have had bees in for about 10 months. During the summer I had to pull frames of brood to keep them from expanding too much. Did this about every three weeks. I built the hive up for winter with a second five frames so they had 10 frames going into the winter as the single frame on top was just foundation and no stores. Have a clear 1 inch tube going outside with no apparent problems with the bees coming and going. I have a jar feeder installed in the hive on the opposite end of the entrance. During the winter they didn't venture out any more than my regular hives. The room the hive is in stayed from 59 degrees F as a low to as high as 68 degrees during the winter. The hive was made out of 1/2 inch plexiglass so the outside frames are easily seen. Have a cover over them when not viewing them. So far they are doing well and am planning on pulling the top five frames the first of May to do a split and drop the hive back to 6 frames for the summer.


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## chr157y

Thanks for all of the input. I really appreciate it. I love the idea of adding a second box. I'm going to start hunting for idential latches to the ones they use, so I can add them to another deep nuc box.

I have quite a bit of bee homework to do before I pick up my new packages! Buy black cloth, apply varnish to the Ulster, paint some of my older boxes.

Michael, Since it's small and compact, I can easily inspecting them every two weeks like I do the rest of my hive. Hopefully, this will keep them healthy and happy.

One more question. Would you leave the feeder in the bottom nuc all the time or replace it with a regular frame? In the beginning, I was thinking of leaving the feeder in the top, so I can refill it easily, by just slipping the top cover over and inch or so. If well managed, I'm thinking the bees should have enough food on the possible 6 frames if I close them up for a day or two to take them to a school.


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## Michael Bush

>Since it's small and compact, I can easily inspecting them every two weeks like I do the rest of my hive. 

Winter is when I need to keep the closest eye on them and I can't take them outside to inspect them... and taking them outside is a pain even if it's light. You still have to unhook the tube, block three places (the hive, the inside of the tube and the outside of the tube, and brush the hive off several times on the way to the house. I'm not saying it can't work, but I still think it will be a lot of trouble when the weather is nice and too hard on the bees when the weather is cold.


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