Author Topic: Expanding hives next spring (Read 2692 times)

BEE C · « **on:** August 20, 2006, 06:36:22 am »

I have a good forage area, and will be starting pollination contracts next spring. My apiary and surrounding area can support forty hives where at least twenty hives sit at the main apiary site year round. I want to expand hives to that number as cheaply and quickly as I can. I was curious about what everyone does (differently, location, preference) in starting nucs or making splits. How many frames of brood or honey? I have ten deeps ready to use already. I would prefer to use the ten frame deeps to start hives. I remember someone talking about dividers inside the hive to close off sections until they get big enough. Does anyone have pictures of that or directions. (Brian?) Curious what people have used to expand...I will be ordering two four pound packages again this spring. This last spring I started two hives from four pound packages each. Carnolian queens. I could have easily and should have split each of these hives populations at least once. I hope to split the four pound packages into two pound hives, and then hopefully slit them again for eight to ten hives. I'd love to hear what has worked for people and what hasn't. Steve

tom · « **Reply #1 on:** August 20, 2006, 10:26:15 am »

Hello

You can look around on this site and you can find several topics on nucs and what to do. And where did you get your packages from and are your carniolans mixed but on this site it has helped me with alot and plus the guy's here are great with advice.

Tom

Michael Bush · « **Reply #2 on:** August 20, 2006, 05:29:50 pm »

http://www.bushfarms.com/beessplits.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnucs.htm

Brian D. Bray · « **Reply #3 on:** August 20, 2006, 11:44:55 pm »

Obviously hive increase is taking a priority over honey production. I read an intent to become a sideliner as quickly as possible. Remember to also register your name with local communities police and animal control agents for picking up feral swarms.

Sounds like you might need the capacity to start up to twenty hives next year if I read your intentions correctly.

BEE C · « **Reply #4 on:** August 21, 2006, 12:54:01 am »

Hey,Tom, thanks. I've looked at the archives and I've decided to try a few different options. The top bar hives are what i plan on using to raise any swarms, feral hives, queen banks, etc. I caught one swarm this season, but had to combine it onto another hive due to bear carousing...
Mr Bush, I liked your TBH pics, and how you overwinter nucs. I like the horizontal idea. Have you used 'normal' frames in an elongated horizontal hive? I know your in texas but i wonder if the small nucs you used 2, 3, 4 frames would work up here. Do you successfully over winter that size? If I start out that size in spring should I be able to raise them up to a ten frame deep by the time i need to overwinter?
Brian, yes I want to get up to twenty hives going next year tops, but with the goal of apiary expansion. I think once everything is said and done, I will harvest 50 pounds ofhoney off each hive started this year. I had some problems with queens mid main flow, so I don't think thats bad, but I hope to get much more off those two hives if they come over the winter well. I'm hoping to use pachages mainly, but also, adding swarms. My employer at honeyland canada has been giving me a call when people think they have swarms out in my area, but so far its mainly been for hornets nests.
I think if I can start two pound packages in a full deep with a divider board, it would be cheaper than anything else, like building nucs. I am making TBH for swarms and odd hives that split or come in that I don't have hive bodies for. I'm hoping to raise queens this year as the electric fence will be up and i'll have a large apiary fenced in. My employer Dr Bee has also offered to give me some queens this year for five bucks each, and some for free. I would like to diversify my stock right off the bat. Thats kind of why I wanted to start smaller nucs if I can start out more queens, but i'll be adding queens throughout the season as I get my hands on.
One thing I can't seem to grasp from archives, or books is what exactly is a nuc? I know it has a queen, brood, and a feeder or frame of honey. How small can a nuc be though? I believe seasonal warmth plays a part, and how well the bees can keep the brood warm and fed with as little disturbance as possible. How many nucs can one make from a two pound package of bees assuming I have many queens ready to go? Thanks guys.

tom · « **Reply #5 on:** August 21, 2006, 01:26:07 am »

Bee C

It seems you have a good plan i also want to expand my hives also but i think i am going to do it slow if i can get up to 8 hives i think i will be ok i also plan on letting my local police know and fire dept. to be on the look out for me since they all know me very well. As for nuc you can go for two on up to five frame nucs i am going with five frames and i am going to split my big hive if they come thru the winter good but i plan on giving them some extra feeding before the wheather gets cold but keep your idea and you will be fine.

Tom

Brian D. Bray · « **Reply #6 on:** August 21, 2006, 06:01:07 am »

>>i wonder if the small nucs you used 2, 3, 4 frames would work up here.

It works 50 miles (72 Km) south of you so why shouldn't work there. The nuc is essentially a cut down hive. most in use are 5 frames or 1/2 a hive. One way to make nucs is to slide a piece of 1/4 or 3/8 inch plywood between the center frames of a 10 frame hive--presto, 2 5 frame nucs. Twining the nucs that way also lets them share heat, which aids in over winter survival. I would recommend twining them. If you cut a bunch of boards the proper size to slide between the frames you can even super them (the equivalent of a single body hive) with the advantage of better heat retention by the bees.

Check out Dadant, Mann Lake Ltd, or Bushy Mountain. They all have pictures of nucs in their on line catalogs.

Also of note, long hives and TBH's are a great and interesting experiment but if you're comtemplating a commercial sideline it is best to keep these in your home yard, if at all. Commercial beekeeping usually doesn't give one time for indulgences.

BEE C · « **Reply #7 on:** August 21, 2006, 05:23:15 pm »

Thanks brian,
I was curious about nuc sizes for our area. I will go with the five frame nucs. I have a bunch of plywood pieces from our roof just being done, that will work great. The horizontal hives will just be another experiment at our home apiary. My fiance likes the ornamental eastern european folk hives, and I was thinking the horizontal hives would make a neat hive for that. My dads side of the family used to be wooden boat builders, and we have a drydock along the fraser river still as they all still commercial gillnet. Grandpa has always hauled logs out of the river for firewood, and we have some large cedar logs. I like the look of carved folk hives, and think I will try to make some functional art... :D

Michael Bush · « **Reply #8 on:** August 21, 2006, 08:58:07 pm »

The important thing is that the nucs are FULL of bees. I make a lot of two frame nucs for mating nucs.