# Four Frame Nucs



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Lunar New Year? What's that?


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## WBVC (Apr 25, 2013)

If one over winters nucs by placing them on top of larger hives or on top of each other how does one check, and feed, these stacked hives in the winter? Do you rim spacers and put sugar blocks in at the start and cross your fingers all is well until spring or do you lift them apart ( seems disruptive) to check and feed through the winter?

If Queenless bees settle when housed with screen separation above a Queened box do stacks each with their own Queen behave differently because they can sense the presence of another Queen on the other side of the screen?


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Get your feeding down before winter arrives, that's how.


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## TalonRedding (Jul 19, 2013)

sqkcrk said:


> Lunar New Year? What's that?


http://www.cidbia.org/events/2014-lunar-new-year/lunar-new-year-celebration-2014-year-of-the-horse

Why Mark, it's Chinese New Year! And, apparently it is the year of the horse.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Knisely said:


> The external dimensions of these 4 frame nuc supers will be 9 5/8" deep, 19 7/8" long, and 8 1/8" wide.
> 
> Has anyone got any experiences with constructing/using supers of these dimensions that I would want to know about before I make my jigs? Has anyone gotten plans for these and the other hive components for this width that they've drawn up and could post to the 'plans' section of BeeSource?


No plans. Just make a standard deep with a front and back wall 8 1/8 instead of 16 1/4 

Hand holds on front and back only


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## Fishman43 (Sep 26, 2011)

8 1/8" would fit more than four frames


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## Knisely (Oct 26, 2013)

WBVC: This link will take you to a thread here on BeeSource on overwintering nucs that can perhaps answer some of your questions: http://tinyurl.com/l6cvvbs 

There are some photographs of some of Mike Palmer's setups on page 5 of this thread. I would be interested in seeing how he's got them set up on 'production hives'--is he using a double entry (front & back) double-screened arrangement, or merely placing them atop the hive to decrease heat losses? I think that he is able, with an efficient strain of bees that hunkers down in winter and doesn't keep rearing brood, to do without a lot of supplemental feeding. (Read the thread, and it won't be paraphrased.)

I understand that colonies can be run one atop another with a double screen arrangement. I don't know of any data on how the queens or their colonies behaviors may differ in such an arrangement.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Fishman43 said:


> 8 1/8" would fit more than four frames


4.5 Not enough room for 5


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Knisely said:


> There are some photographs of some of Mike Palmer's setups on page 5 of this thread. I would be interested in seeing how he's got them set up on 'production hives'--is he using a double entry (front & back) double-screened arrangement, or merely placing them atop the hive to decrease heat losses?


When I did winter on top, I used solid bottoms and they sat on the inner cover. Each nuc still had its own entrance. Now I build them into double story doubles and winter on stands. If I couldn't get them built up well into two stories, I would still winter on top.


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

Fishman43 said:


> 8 1/8" would fit more than four frames


If you used half inch wood then 5 fit very tight. I have some made of 3/8 plywood and 5 fit alright.


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## Fishman43 (Sep 26, 2011)

Michael Palmer said:


> 4.5 Not enough room for 5


Oops, bad mental math. Only took 3/4 off, not both sides (1.5). :doh:


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## DLMKA (Feb 7, 2012)

Fishman43 said:


> 8 1/8" would fit more than four frames


No. 
8 1/8" - (2)*0.75 = 6 5/8" inside box dimension

(4)*1 3/8 = 5 1/2 
(5)*1 3/8 = 6 7/8 which is more than inside box dimension.

Narrow endbars will get 5.

Edit: Oops, didn't see Michael Palmers response.


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## docmarv (May 17, 2013)

I want to make a bunch of these 4 frame nuc's out of 3/4" cdx plywood scaps i get from our constuction project, do you guys think that is a bad idea? the sides and ends would need some filling or sealing


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## TalonRedding (Jul 19, 2013)

I see nothing wrong with it at all. I haven't made nucs out of that, but I have made swarm traps and bottom boards out of CDX. Like you said, make sure you seal the edges well. Primer and lots of paint works fine. 
Lol.....looks like you've already made a few!


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Has anyone got any experiences with constructing/using supers of these dimensions

I have.

> that I would want to know about before I make my jigs?

I think you've got it.


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