# mini mating nuc



## magnet-man (Jul 10, 2004)

You modify a super to hold the small frames and put on top of a strong hive.


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## danwyns (Nov 11, 2007)

yeah, what magnet said. An additional benefit of this is you can fold many mating nucs into mother hives for winteriing and then they can be broken back into nucs in the spring. We do this and overwinter frames of 8/12 minis as a 2/3 medium hive. Easy to break down into nucs in the spring because you've already got bees, feed and various stages of brood with the frames.

dw


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## bleta12 (Feb 28, 2007)

What matting nucs are those Comb?


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## comb (Jan 12, 2006)

baby nuc from brushy mountain


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

it seems to me some have answered the unasked question of: how could I have gotten frames drawn if I had started last fall?

I would suggest the two important ingredients for what you wish to do at your location (right now) are 1) a very strong active hives and 2) plenty of feed.


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## marcros (Jan 8, 2009)

With these mini nucs, there shouldn't be a problem just putting starter strips in the frame and feeding. Give the bees 2 or 3 days to draw the comb before running in a virgin or introducing a cell.

I have a book at home which contains brilliant instructions for these mininucs (well, based on 1 commonly used in the UK, but they are all much the same). I think that it will scan reasonably easily, so if you want a copy, PM me your email address) 

Mark


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## bleta12 (Feb 28, 2007)

comb said:


> baby nuc from brushy mountain


I would not call the matting nucs from brushy mountain as "baby nucs". They are a deep divided in 4 and they use a regular deep frame. They may work very well for matting and they are very easy to start just by transferring the deep frames from the big hives and moving them in a distant yard and then introducing a cell.
Baby nucs are much smaller, mostly singles. They can be stocked with bees closed for 3-4 days in a cool place and then they are left outside. Man Lake and Bee Works in Canada offer baby nucs in USA.

Gilman


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## comb (Jan 12, 2006)

BLET12 i have that one also im asking about baby nuc each side has 3 short med frames thanks to everyone for your help


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## Velbert (Mar 19, 2006)

*Getting combs drawn*








This Little top bar Mini Nuc was started with 1 8oz cup of bees from the brood nest of a strong colony place on foundation with a ripe queen cell that was within 12 hours of hatching left confined 4 full days in the nuc with about a 1/2 to 2/3 pint of HFCS was kept in a cool dark place for the 4 days, then placed on stand in out yard by the the time the queen mated and started laying (12 Days) all the frames was drawn out to about 80% to 90%

If yo don't leave the bees in nuc confined for 4 days they will usually all leave the nuc (been there done that). at the end of the 3rd day queen gets her pheromone and 95% of the time they will all stay in the nuc








This one was put in on built combs THE ONLY DIFFERENCE FROM THE NUC STARTED ON FOUNDATION AND THE ONE STARTED ON DRAWN COMBS WAS THE ONE ON THE DRAWN COMB HAD A BIT MORE FEED STORED IN THE COMB.

I WOULD NOT WASTE THE TIME TRYING TO GET THEM PRE DRAWN.


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