Propagating Your Own Apiary The What and Why of Nucleus Colonies
September
January
March
Question: Where can I get more BEES?!?!?
Where? NUCLEUS COLONIES They’re in this box.
APR MAY JUN JUL AUG Conventional system: Purchased packages or nucleus colonies $ Typical nectar flow Control swarming Over-wintered colony OR…
APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP Alternative system: Typical nectar flow Swarming Over-wintered colony Pre-swarm splits(nucs) Weak colony Mid-summer splits(nucs) BCBA Queen Cells Wild Q. Cells Over-wintered colonies
NUCLEUS COLONIES
Why Nucleus Colonies? 1.To make new queens/colonies, i.e. allow nuc to raise its own queen. 2.To split large swarmy colonies. 3.To isolate swarm cells, avert swarming. 4.To hive a swarm. 5.To store old retired queens. 6.To form mating nucs for queen rearing. 7.To establish a new queen for requeening large colony. 8.To move stock, i.e. brood, bees, stores, among colonies, among bee yards. 9.To control Varroa by splitting and queenless period. 10.To winter nucleus units and queens.
Minimum composition: One frame mostly capped brood One frame nectar (or honey) and pollen Nurse bees from 2-3 frames of brood comb
Source of Queen Laying or virgin queen “Wild” swarm cell Queen cell from graft
Strategies: Remove a few frames of bees, brood, stores from strong colony, e.g. to discourage swarming, to open the brood nest. Completely break up strong colony into many nucs, esp. during dearth. Completely break up weak colony into nucs – best use of weak colonies.
Avoiding robbing: Small entrance. Feed dry sugar or fondant, not syrup.
Longer term: Adjust hive volume to match colony strength: e.g. follower boards to reduce volume, move to larger boxes and/or add supers to increase space.
No nucleus box? Move queen to top box, with NO capped brood or Q cells Excluder goes here Honey super Capped brood and all queen cells stay here QUEEN QUEEN CELLS Colony preparing to swarm Rule: to prevent swarming, separate queen from brood.
Two weeks later… Old laying queen New laying queen
Nurse bees & Brood Making up nucs: How NOT to include the queen. Brood Bees, brood, & Queen All the bees & queen 1. Remove top brood box from strong colony; set it aside. 2. Shake ALL the bees into the bottom box. Empty box No frames “funnel” 3. Put an excluder over the box with ALL the bees and queen. 4. Put the now bee-less and QUEEN-LESS box of brood above the excluder One day Bees, & Queen Shake Queen
Brood covered by nurse beesQUEEN One day later… Distribute frames of brood and nurse bees among nucleus boxes.
Critical points of nucleus colony formation: Don’t unintentionally add a queen. Give them at least a frame of brood and a frame of stores (honey & pollen), both covered with bees. Ensure enough workers to care for brood: shake in extra frames of bees if keeping in home apiary. Small entrance to discourage robbing. Feed dry sugar, not syrup, during dearth. Provide shade in hot weather.
Wintering nucleus colonies: shoot for lbs of stores
Wintering nucleus colonies: clustered together
Wintering nucleus colonies: atop strong colony Nucleus colony Strong colony Double screen
Wintering nucleus colonies: outbuilding
Why Nucleus Colonies? 1.To make new queens/colonies, i.e. allow nuc to raise its own queen. 2.To split large swarmy colonies. 3.To isolate swarm cells, avert swarming. 4.To hive a swarm. 5.To store old retired queens. 6.To form mating nucs for queen rearing.. 7.To establish a new queen for requeening large colony. 8.To move stock, i.e. brood, bees, stores, among colonies, among bee yards. 9.To control Varroa by splitting and queenless period. 10.To winter nucleus units and queens.
Yes, Nucs