makeing nucs for increase.

[alleyyooper]

First off you need to decide how you want to queen the nuc. You can buy a queen in a cage to put in the nuc. Graft eggs or 3 day old larva into cell cups. Or just install a frame of eggs and 3 day old larva then let the workers make the queens from the cells they choose. With the last method you can go in in a week and cut out the cells that are miss shaped or of small size. You also can cut some of the better ones out for other nucs.

JZBZ queen cage.



Benton 3 hole cage.



Now that you have the queen question settled how to build the nuc.

I use two different types of nuc boxes. One is a double nuc box from a deep split in two. I'll do a write up on how to do that latter. these are easier to work with 4 frames to a side.

Deepwithdividerboard.jpg





More on the above nuc latter too.

I pull a frame full of honey and pollen which I place on the out side edge.

Some times you have to settle for a frame of honey then find one with lots of pollnen.

then I pull 3 frames of brood from eggs to fully capped ones for the age difference. If I am useing a boughtn queen I install the cage add a half pollen patty on the top bars and close them up for a week.

After a week I check the queen cage and remove it most times. After I see the queen is laying well I will transfur them into a 10 frame deep.


Al