# Setting Up Mating Nucs



## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

The weather isn't always perfect, and sometimes you doit no matter the weather. If I waited for a sunny calm day with temperatures around 60˚, nothing would ever get done.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA3yiNoAh4o


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

I was expecting more stinging. Nice frames of brood. :thumbsup:


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## Duncan151 (Aug 3, 2013)

Adrian Quiney WI said:


> I was expecting more stinging. Nice frames of brood. :thumbsup:


Adrian, I can video tape myself working around the hives next summer if you want to see more stinging? LOL


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## Stephenpbird (May 22, 2011)

I like the new videos, Meat the cow is the best.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Adrian Quiney WI said:


> I was expecting more stinging.


From happy bees??


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

nice. thanks for sharing michael.


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## TWall (May 19, 2010)

Michael,

Can you give us a few more details?

The mating nuc was overwintered on 8 mini-frames. The box you pulled had 4-5 frames that had been overwinterd, right? You have given it 5-6 frames of fondation. Was the bottom box another 4 frames that had overwintered and had been give frames of foundation?

Thanks,

Tom


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## Rube63 (Jun 28, 2010)

Mr. Palmer you mentioned the queen several times and the never mentioned what happened to her as you were making the mating nucs.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

TWall said:


> Michael,
> 
> Can you give us a few more details?
> 
> ...


The nucs were doubles wintered on 8 combs each. At the beginning of May I added a super with 10 mini-combs to each...moving some brood up into the super. We broke down the nucs into the 4 way boxes giving each 2 brood a honey and an empty. The remaining combs with bees, brood and honey and the queen stayed in the super on the original stand. The 4 ways got moved to the mating yard and were given cells the next day. The supers (white boxes) with the queens were used to re-queen production colonies, and then the combs were recovered to go back on the mating nucs at the end of the mating season.


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

Are you setting these up in a strong nectar flow, or prior to flow?


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

Why do your inner cover bags have feeding holes if you keep feeder frames in the nucs?


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

bevy's honeybees said:


> Are you setting these up in a strong nectar flow, or prior to flow?


No, a poor flow. Mid-April to mid-May we were in drought conditions. So dry that the bees never even visited the dandelion blooms...now that's a firs for me. Then mid-May to July it was cool and rainy. The temperature was in the low 50s. The next day, the cells went in the mating nucs...35˚ and blowing like crazy. Did my best to keep the cells warm...thermometer in the car, heat on full, place one cell bar of cells at a time and then back into the car to warm up.

Worst take of the summer. 80 queens from 128 nucs. And I was supposed to set up another round of cell builders that afternoon...first time in my career that I had to postpone my day's work due to weather conditions.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Specialkayme said:


> Why do your inner cover bags have feeding holes if you keep feeder frames in the nucs?


Those are for feeding for winter. The feeders hold enough for their first feeding in the spring, or an emergency feeding in the summer, but don't hold enough for winter feed. For that, I use gallon cans above the bag holes, with an empty box around them.


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## KevinR (Apr 30, 2010)

Looks good..

Hopefully, I'll be doing the same thing next year... Minus the rain, tent, and cold weather... *cross fingers*


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

michael, do you provide supplemental feed/protein to your starter/finishers?


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

squarepeg said:


> michael, do you provide supplemental feed/protein to your starter/finishers?


Of course. I include a pollen comb next to the graft, and thin syrup while the bees are drawing the cells.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

so natural pollen for protein, and thin syrup only with nothing added?


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

That's right. If you're on a good flow you might not need the syrup.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

understood, many thanks.


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## KevinR (Apr 30, 2010)

Is the 4th frame in the mating nuc a honey frame? It looked like one, but I didn't hear you call it out on the comb placement directions.

If it is a honey frame, do you save them from the year before? Or hope that you have some excess for spring make up?


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

KevinR said:


> Is the 4th frame in the mating nuc a honey frame? It looked like one, but I didn't hear you call it out on the comb placement directions.
> 
> If it is a honey frame, do you save them from the year before? Or hope that you have some excess for spring make up?


The comb against the feeder is a feed frame. By the time we catch the queen that comb has been turned to brood.

I save some, and I use some that they fill on maple and dandelion.. Some years there's no dandelion...like 2013, so I fill the feeders with thick syrup.


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## KevinR (Apr 30, 2010)

What is the frame that is far away form the feeder.. 

In the video you had a 4way mating nuc made up and all the 4th frame slots were already in place... The feeder was in the middle. You put new frame there, then closed brood, then open brood in third slot. What was in the 4th slot?


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

An empty comb or foundation


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## Tony Rogers (Oct 18, 2012)

Question! What is the advantage of using a mating nuc versus using a deep frame with bees in a regular deep?


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## KevinR (Apr 30, 2010)

I'm assuming that talking about using a single deep comb? If that is the case...

More interior space. By stacking the combs the inner combs are more insulated.
Easier to work. A single comb hive is only 1.5 inches wide making it difficult to stick your hand in there.

If your talking about in comparison to a 5 frame deep nuc.

Less resources. You can take the comb from one 5-frame nuc and make 2.5 mating nucs, which increases the number of potential queens.
Smaller hives. It's easier to manage the small colonies and losing one isn't as dramatic. ((Within reason, the ultra small nucs require careful watching))

Downsides are that you need to maintain custom equipment. I plan to make standard supers with a divider, which will allow me to draw/store the comb on a normal hive.

Hope that helps.


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## Tony Rogers (Oct 18, 2012)

Hi Kevin, 

I guess what I am really wondering is this. If I can purchase an 8 frame deep for 7.50. Why would I spend the same amount or more on a mini nuc? I was thinking of just taking a frame of nurse bees and placing them in a deep and using that as the mating nuc. Thoughts? I suppose if I were raising queens for sale it would make sense, but if I need 8 frame boxes anyway for growing, what would the advantage of using a mating nuc instead? Thoughts?


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## KevinR (Apr 30, 2010)

If your just doing a queen here and there.. I don't guess it matters much. 

Just keep in mind that a overloaded hive doesn't always accept the returning queen. I found that lighter stocked hives/nucs are more willing to let the queen back in without killing her.

If your looking to raise several queens, you might want to look at being as efficient as possible. 

Ultimately it's your bee yard and you could raise them all in igloo coolers if that's what you want to do. *grins*


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## Tony Rogers (Oct 18, 2012)

Good thought Kevin! Don the fat bee man has a neat design for baby nucs, think I'll make a few this week end. It's a one time cost, so making wise use of space makes sense, easier to transport as well.


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