# How to start a young (or nuc) hive on small cells?



## kwest (May 16, 2009)

i think just rotate them in between slowly. only one at a time or so. this is what i am doing with foundationless frames and it is working well. just do a few at a time so you dont split up the brood to much.


----------



## Countryboy (Feb 15, 2009)

I would remove the 3 undrawn frames you have, and replace with the small cell frames. As the broodnest expands, they will draw out the small cell frames. Giving them large cell foundation is a step in the wrong direction - when they need to draw a frame, let it be small cell foundation waiting on them.

As time goes on, you can swap out the original large cell frames with small cell.


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

It's late enough in the year (although I'm no expert on New Mexico when raising bees) that I'd be careful not to steal anything from them until the spring flow is on, but you can give them small cell foundation or foundationless as they can draw it.


----------



## tandiwe76 (Jul 27, 2009)

Thanks for all the advice. I'll be slipping in a frame or two of the small cell before winter, just to see how they take to it. Otherwise I think I'd be safer to wait till spring when this new colony can build up to full strength.

If anyone else has experience or advice, keep it coming!


----------

