# 2 frame mating nucs with feeders



## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

I made up four of the two framers two years ago. They seem stable as built and I have never had one blow over. I did find that robbing screens are a necessity as there will be too few bees to defend the nuc. The "super" is a feeder with a pint mason jar, 3" hole with hardware cloth. If I make more, I will use the dimensions from Barnyard Bees.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

If i remember right i saw somewhere where bees do better on three frames over two. Though i have seen a lot of twos in uses. Just something to think about. I haven’t ran ether one yet.


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## KevinWI (Mar 18, 2018)

I made 9 of the ones that JWPalmer posted..from Barnyard.....I came home one day and they were all laying on their sides like dominos from wind blowing over....I stopped using the feeder box and instead went with quart feeder jars...works better FOR ME.
Also, the two framers are a good design...but early walkaway splits here in Northern climate they did not fare too well...I got chilled brood...just not enough bees and lots of surface area....so I built double two frame nuc boxes out of a 5 frame box...which offers two things ...1. a stable base which won't blow over...and 2. A shared wall to conserve share heat. That seemed to work better FOR ME.


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## GregH (Aug 4, 2016)

I have some 2 frame nucs and do use them in a pinch, they do work well.I have went to using a 5 frame nuc with a follower board. When I need to add more room for the nuc all i have to do is move the follower board a little and add a frame. I do not have to take all the bees out and put them in a new box. If I want to pull the queen and add her somewhere else I can still do that and it acts as a 2 frame mating nuc.


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

JW,
I think the stability comes from the thick base you use. I use rough 2x with 3/8 slats nailed on. Not side by side friendly but do not tip. Yours rough 1x?


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## coalsmok (Jan 27, 2017)

I am wanting to try some of them as well. Have a sheet of particle board that needs to go anyway. 
My thought was to just strap them to the stand to keep them upright. Not using them for my primary splits but just to get queens bred and let them grow the box out. Then just go thru and combine the failures with the successes into five frames to overwinter.


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## johno (Dec 4, 2011)

The university of Guelph use styrofoam mini nucs and tie each one down onto the pallet stands they use not only for wind but also to prevent possums and skunks from knocking them over which would also hold good for any small mating nucs.


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## aran (May 20, 2015)

KevinWI said:


> I made 9 of the ones that JWPalmer posted..from Barnyard.....I came home one day and they were all laying on their sides like dominos from wind blowing over....I stopped using the feeder box and instead went with quart feeder jars...works better FOR ME.
> Also, the two framers are a good design...but early walkaway splits here in Northern climate they did not fare too well...I got chilled brood...just not enough bees and lots of surface area....so I built double two frame nuc boxes out of a 5 frame box...which offers two things ...1. a stable base which won't blow over...and 2. A shared wall to conserve share heat. That seemed to work better FOR ME.


i wonder if i could devise a divider to put in to the 5 frame nucs i already made.
Not sure how to go about placing a divider once the box is already built...hmm have to think about that one.


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## aran (May 20, 2015)

GregH said:


> I have some 2 frame nucs and do use them in a pinch, they do work well.I have went to using a 5 frame nuc with a follower board. When I need to add more room for the nuc all i have to do is move the follower board a little and add a frame. I do not have to take all the bees out and put them in a new box. If I want to pull the queen and add her somewhere else I can still do that and it acts as a 2 frame mating nuc.


not familiar with a follower board do you have a pic of it?
Its a removable divider?


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## aran (May 20, 2015)

never mind i found a pic of it! Thats simple and genius. I will use that in the 5 frame nuc boxes i made.
Thanks for the idea Greg you just saved me a ton of time and money!


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## GregH (Aug 4, 2016)

aran: They work great.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Saltybee, just a regular 1x. The bottom board sits in a dado that gets it 3/8" off the stand, just like my regular bottom boards. The BB version has a nuc sized feeder on it that I think would make it top heavy. The two frame super that I use is just wide enough for the pint sized jar to fit. This year I will be running a couple 4-way queen castles, the two frame nucs, and four of the ML double mini nucs side by side. Curious to see how well each does compared to the others. All will be getting queen cells on day 14. I will still be using 5 frame nucs for any walk away splits since I have never had success with any two frame nucs used that way in several attempts, although much of that may be due to timing. Mid summer did not work out well for me at all last year, whereas late spring saw almost 100% success in the five frame nucs.


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## HiveBeetle (Mar 26, 2017)

If you live in an area with SHB, be careful with two framers. I haven’t had any luck with them. The beetles took them over every time I tried.


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## tulsafarmer (Feb 28, 2016)

aran said:


> GregH said:
> 
> 
> > I have some 2 frame nucs and do use them in a pinch, they do work well.I have went to using a 5 frame nuc with a follower board. When I need to add more room for the nuc all i have to do is move the follower board a little and add a frame. I do not have to take all the bees out and put them in a new box. If I want to pull the queen and add her somewhere else I can still do that and it acts as a 2 frame mating nuc.
> ...


 I use a pink styrofoam type board, just like a follower board, because I had it 
A follower board is a solid board with a top like that of a frame used to take up space until they grow and need another frame helping conserve heat used this way


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## aran (May 20, 2015)

tulsafarmer said:


> I use a pink styrofoam type board, just like a follower board, because I had it
> A follower board is a solid board with a top like that of a frame used to take up space until they grow and need another frame helping conserve heat used this way


will the bees chew through the styrofoam?


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

will the bees chew through the styrofoam? Yes. I have seen ware people have people have warp it with aluminum foil an had good luck


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