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Author Topic: Making Nucs  (Read 2883 times)

Offline BeeHopper

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Making Nucs
« on: December 29, 2008, 12:40:05 pm »
Hi Fellow Beeks,

I am exploring the idea of making and selling Nucs in addition to Honey Sales as a Sideliner. I do not want to get involved with pollination, period. Is there an on line source or publication that helps one maximize the effort. I know raising Queens is a plus in this area and it involves a daily vigilance, but for now, I'd like to buy queens and make the splits using Nucs with the colonies that I have. What are your thoughts  :-D


BeeHopper

Offline justgojumpit

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Re: Making Nucs
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2008, 04:34:45 pm »
I would raise queens via the Hopkins method.  Once the queen cells are ripe, put a queen cell in a nuc box with two frames of capped brood, a frame of honey, and a frame of pollen.  You could also do a frame of open brood and a frame of capped brood if you wish.  The queen will hatch, mate, and begin to lay.  It will have the benefit of local genetics - she will breed to drones that survive in your area.  Also, you won't have the expense of buying the queens, which would make a huge dent in your profits.  The Hopkins method of queen rearing involves no grafting, produces a large number of queens, and is not labor intensive.  I will be doing this as well next year to increase my hive numbers.

justgojumpit
Keeper of bees and builder of custom beekeeping equipment.

Offline TwT

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Re: Making Nucs
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2008, 07:54:48 pm »
this is a topic not to for gone, read this

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,18381.0.html
THAT's ME TO THE LEFT JUST 5 MONTHS FROM NOW!!!!!!!!

Never be afraid to try something new.
Amateurs built the ark,
Professionals built the Titanic

Offline BeeHopper

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Re: Making Nucs
« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2008, 09:26:36 am »
Thanks for the insight, it will do.  :)

 

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