Polystyrene Nucs and Mini-Mating Nucs
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"These are the two new items I am using to aid with queen mating and making increase,
the five frame Styrofoam nuc from BetterBee and the Mini-Mating nuc from Mann Lake.
They worked really well for mating queens." by Keith Malone 5 Frame Nuc Box ($23.95+S) Mini-Mating Nuc ($15.95+S) |
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"These long lasting, easy-to-handle Polystyrene Nuc Boxes were the hit of the Apimondia exhibit in Vancouver.
They were developed by one of Canada's premier beekeepers, Dave Tegart of Fairview, Alberta. Dave winters 2,200 hives in them in southern British Columbia.
In the spring, the nucs are trucked back to Northern Alberta, 1,100 Nucs on a truck. One of the unique techniques that Dave has developed to manage these Nucs
is his technique for feeding them throughout the winter. Dimensions: 21-3/4" x 10-3/4" x 12-1/4". (Ship Wt.: 5 lbs.)
Here is how he explains it: Feeding the Polystyrene Nucs internally is very fast and accurate. Up to 2 liters of sugar syrup can be pumped into
the Nuc through the hive entrance at one time. The syrup falls on the floor of the Nuc and is quickly picked up by the bees. There is no waste,
and we have not experienced any queen loss or damage to the bees by doing this. Normally, it is advisable to allow up to 2 days before more syrup
is added to allow time for the bees to cure the first syrup properly before the next is added. It is also very easy to add the proper drugs at the same time.
The amount of food the bees consume is considerably less because of the insulation factor of the styrofoam. It is possible to feed a location of 1,100 Polystyrene Nucs
2 liters of syrup each in about 2 hours. Feeding in poor weather conditions is easy. It doesn't matter if it is raining or cold outside because you do not need to open
the nucs and disturb the bees."
by Betterbee, Inc. |
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Mini-Mating Nuc (from Mann Lake Ltd.) Consists of: - a built-in feeder at the rear of the frames, - a built-in excluder that keeps the queen out of the feeder, - a queen excluder - a transparent plastic sheet that acts as a cover board. The entrance has a slide that when closed will expose the maximum area of the ventilation mesh. The ventilation mesh is of molded plastic. The removable bottom board offers extra ventilation and easy clean out. |
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1. You should attach a queen cell (which is expected to hatch in three to four days) to the top bar of the frame and place the frame into the nuc. If you wish to get a better queen, you can place three queen cells. Then, thanks to natural selection, the strongest queen will remain. |
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2. Close the entrance slide. 3. Turn the nuc upside down. 4. Open the bottom board and fill the nuc with one glass (approx. 10-12 Fl. oz) of bees. |
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5. Close the bottom board. |
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6. Turn the nuc back to the starting position. 7. Fill the nuc feeder with sugar syrup (1:1 ratio). 8. Leave the nuc in this condition for three to four days. |
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9. When the queen has hatched, place your nuc in the mating yard. 10. Open the entrance slide. 11. In three to five days, when you see that the queen started to lay eggs, your queen is ready for the formation of a new colony. |
Romanov Nucs
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In 2003, I decided to modify standard coolers and use
them as nucs. As of February 2007, the Wal-Mart price for the "Rubbermaid" (48 QT) cooler is $18.66. I’m using my coolers primarily as storages for my "food reserves". All my nucs are wooden. I would recommend to use a cooler as a nuc for emergency situation only. |
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You should screw a wooden bar to the cooler to fit standard-size frames. |
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You should unscrew and remove the plastic cap. This hole will act as an
entrance/ventilation opening. Also, you can drill an additional
3/4" entrance/ventilation hole above (beneath) the cooler handle located
on the same side. To create further protection from the rain, you should place a piece of painted plywood on top of the cooler and secure it with a brick or a stone. |
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Now you can use the modified coolers as 5-7 frame nucs. Moreover, you can utilize these nucs to store empty or honey-filled frames. |
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To feed bees you can use a Division Board Feeder for $3.95 |
More about Polystyrene Nucs
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