# Making up NUCS using CO2



## Troy (Feb 9, 2006)

Has anyone else seen this video?

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxe3mV04kfM

They apparently Narc all the bees and then they are a whole lot easier to handle while making up the nuc boxes.

I also noticed that they put 2 Queen Cells in each Nuc. Why is that necessary? Does it just increase the odds of success?


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## Brent Bean (Jun 30, 2005)

What a ridiculous, laborious way to make up a Nuc. I have never found it hard to handle bees by just shaking them into a box. I do know when you put people in a CO2 environment they either suffer brain damage or just die, which is why they probably put two queen cells to increase the odds of survival. I wouldn’t want to buy a Nuc from someone that makes them up that way. It reminds me of the people that ran the meat packing company that just had the recall.


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## Bizzybee (Jan 29, 2006)

Suppose that would be a good way to handle AHB on a hot summer day.


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## rainesridgefarm (Sep 4, 2001)

When you use co2 on queens you age them about two weeks. I wonder what happens to the nurse bees in this case they will not be able to make any royal jelly to feed young larva.


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## AllFloridaBee (Sep 25, 2007)

CO2 is commonly used as an anesthetic with many insects in research, with many species showing no apparent negative effects. Others don't fare so well.


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

well the knowledgable response above might suggest to you why they need to plug in two queen cells (ie they are killing half in the process of gassing the girls).

I would suspect you could accomplish the same thing by having a bit of freezer space.


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## Gene Weitzel (Dec 6, 2005)

Malka Queens is located in Argentina. The owner Martin Braunstein, claims to have trained in the US under Honeybee Genetics in CA, Plantation Bee Company in GA and Wilbanks Apiaries also in GA. Wonder if he learned this technique there, he claims on his website that the province of Buenos Aires is 100% free of AHB, so that can't be the reason to use this method (unless the 100% AHB free claim is less than genuine). He also claims that Argentina is 100% free of SHB and mites. Maybe we should all pack up and go to Argentina! All facetiousness aside, I believe the method is employed to speed up the process in a high volume queen production operation. Personally it seems to me that one could work just about as fast by spraying with a little water and shaking. You would probably have a lot less worker loss.


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## magnet-man (Jul 10, 2004)

> they need to plug in two queen cells (ie they are killing half in the process of gassing the girls).


They are not gassing the queen cells. They do seem to be a bit rough with the cells though so I guess it is to increase the likelihood of an undamaged queen emerging. 

As far as gassing with CO2 it will not have any ill effect on the bees. Everyone gasses queens with CO2 when they instrumental inseminate them. It looks like an easy way to make up a lot of nucs at one time if you ask me.


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## Gene Weitzel (Dec 6, 2005)

magnet-man said:


> As far as gassing with CO2 it will not have any ill effect on the bees. Everyone gasses queens with CO2 when they instrumental inseminate them. It looks like an easy way to make up a lot of nucs at one time if you ask me.


The CO2 may not have much effect on the bees, but you will probably have a certain percentage that will suffocate at the bottom of the pile before the effects wear off. When you spray and shake, the bees stay moving and are less likely to suffocate when they pile up together.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Its interesting to view the different beekeeping practices all around the world. Some things we do here and take for granted here isnt necissarily the rule of thumb when beekeeping somewhere else. 
Keep an open mind when hearing different ways of managing, we dont have to adopt these practices, but if we are always watching and listening, perhaps there will be some practices that might benifet our business operations.

After watching the video, I cant understand the critisim.
They are making up mating nucs. Two queen cells per mating nuc to increase sucess, I do that.
Its not like they are working thier hives in that fassion, they are making up mating nucs!

When your making up mating nucs, dont you ever have the problem of finding it hard to make the bees take to your box? Simple shake of bees in an empty box and have them stay there isnt as easy as it sounds. What they are doing is knocking the bees out, measuring the population out between mating nuc boxes evenly, adding the cells, AND when the bees come back they will stumble up to the cells and probably keep quite well.
Looks to me someone was thinking when the figured that techneque out!

Thanks for the link Troy! Every interesting!


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

*Making nucs*

It's fast, simple and it works.
It's another method to consider.
Two cups of bees is a good amount. No baby nucs with 1/2 cup of bees per nuc.
Did any one notice that one of the combs appeared to be drawn out and the other two were foundation.
I wonder if the bees were given a frame of brood and then stored inside where it is cool? Or, if they were given a frame of brood and then placed out in their mating locations?
Normaly the nucs are kept in a cool dark room with ventilation for 3 days and then placed out in the mating locations towards sunset. it can get warm in that nuc.
Regards,
Ernie
Lucas Apiaries


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

*I like this method.*

1. Collect the bulk bees in a screened box.
2. Place a super or supers over the bulk bees box with the top opening open for the bees to move up on the combs overnight.
3. Next day: Make nucs with the bees adhering to the combs and or foundation frames. Feeders can be filled at this time.
4. Add a ripe queen cell. Place in a cool dark ventilated area.
5. Place nucs in their locations 3 days after they were made up.
6. Cage out mated queens 17 - 21 days later. Add brood and bees to skips for population increase.
7. Place a 2nd cell in the nuc

Regards,
Ernie
Lucas Apiaries


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## danwyns (Nov 11, 2007)

*3 day holding period??*

What is the theory behind holding nucs for 3 days after stocking them? I've never had difficulty getting mating nucs established by stocking in the afternoon, sponging the entrance to confine bees, transporting to mating yard and removing sponges just on dusk. Am I missing something?


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

danwyns ask:
What is the theory behind holding nucs for 3 days after stocking them?

tecumseh replies:
this is an approach if someone is having a difficult time getting bees to stick to a box. it eliminates bees from absconding from box until they settle in... 

in making up nucs I do much like yourself. on some occasions I will screen 'em in, move 'em and come back the next day to pop the screens. in catching swarms in recent time I have found the three day close 'em in idea to be useful (it seems to limit swarms from absconding).


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