mini nuc's

[ronwhite3030]

does anyone have building plans for making mini nuc's for raising queens?


thanks
ron

[Tommyt]

The page won't let me put a link but look at the Nuc plans below and maybe make the width smaller

Tom

[AllenF]

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~reute001/Plan%20files/pMini%20Mating%20Nuc%204x4.pdf


http://www.tc.umn.edu/~reute001/Plan%20files/phive%20body%20mating%20nuc.pdf    What I like.

[ronwhite3030]

yes allen the first one is to complicated..  I too like the design of the second one. so each section is 2 frames correct?

[AllenF]

Yes.  And you can pull out the dividers to make 2 4 frame nucs in a single box.   They are called queen castles and you can buy them already cut from most of the suppliers.   

[AllenF]

Something else to look into are the cardboard mating nucs in the July issue of the American Bee Journal.  On page 662 & 663 at the tops.   One time use but very simple looking.  Just a cardboard box with frames made from a corrugated plastic sign cut up.   

[ronwhite3030]

my father owns a cabinet shop so if its wood and i have a sketch i can build it and I can usually find stuff laying around that makes it free so this mating nuc is perfect could I remove some uncapped brood and put it in a mating nuc and just have the bees create a queen out of young larvae?

[AllenF]

The queen castle is what I use.  You just move entire frames in and out.  The next time you see a queen cell on a frame of brood, just place the whole frame in here together with a frame of honey or a feeder...come back 2-3 weeks later and find your mated queen.   

[ronwhite3030]

if there are no queen cells can i just put uncapped brood in the nuc with nurse bees and have them create a queen out of one of the worker cells?

[Tommyt]

my father owns a cabinet shop so if its wood and i have a sketch i can build it and I can usually find stuff laying around that makes it free so this mating nuc is perfect could I remove some uncapped brood and put it in a mating nuc and just have the bees create a queen out of young larvae?

You got it made (pun intended)

Tommyt

[ronwhite3030]

i built a queen castle today, it turned out pretty good by just modifying one of my supers.

[rdy-b]

the key to making these are the frame size-so start with a frame -i use these-           http://www.mannlakeltd.com/ProductDetail.asp?idproduct=1094&idCategory=                                    know you build the nuc so you can buy the small frames -otherwise you gota make them-
this nuc is easy to make from 3/4 stock and a 3/8 divider -pockets hold 3 frames -or 2 and a feeder
  http://www.nabeehive.com/queenbreedingboxnuc.aspx
 8-) RDY-B

[AllenF]

if there are no queen cells can i just put uncapped brood in the nuc with nurse bees and have them create a queen out of one of the worker cells?

They can, but you want the best of the best from a booming hive.   Lots of workers, nurse bees, and food coming in for queen cells.  Take your best hive, pull the queen and watch for queen cells.   Then pull the cells for the queen castle to finish out and put that queen back in to keep working her magic. 

[ronwhite3030]

thats a very good idea, how should i store her while they are creating swarm cells? and what is the best way to introduce her back?

[AllenF]

Put her in a nuc.  Use a queen cage.