Mating/laying Q = Mini-nuc < Nuc < Hive
Why do mini-nucs result in consistently faster mating and laying queens? Than 5 frame nucs and full hives that is. A colleague mentioned this recently and speculated is was due to a pheromone - presumably present in hives with a complement of old workers and/or drones, but absent in mini-nucs.
Mating/laying Q = Mini-nuc < Nuc < Hive
Good question. Clearly, the smaller the colony the more bees realise the urgency of the task of building by winter.
More bees: let's concentrate on laying in stores for now.
Less bees: help! We need more bees, and fast!
Might the occurrence of sealed brood correlate with delayed mating/laying? That would give your colleagues a reason for suspecting a pheromone effect, sealed brood pheromone perhaps.
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Mating/laying Q = Mini-nuc < Nuc < Hive
Lots of anthropomorphising going on there! I suspect you're both right but there will be a chemical reason. It would be interesting to know whether a mini-nuc above a travel screen (for example) got the Q mated as fast - when exposed to the scent, but not contact, of all the bees below. If tonight's grafts take perhaps I'll investigate ...
Mating/laying Q = Mini-nuc < Nuc < Hive
Hi DR ... but I'm only considering emerging to laying, not the overall timing of the full introduction cycle (which I accept and agree is probably more efficient - if you have enough bees - in large(r) colonies). I have queens laying tonight (and probably yesterday going by the looks of things) that were grafted on the 2nd ... 23 days.
Mating/laying Q = Mini-nuc < Nuc < Hive
Like Jon I like to leave them in the mini-nuc to 'mature' a bit. I grafted again y'day so am cutting it a bit fine this time. An advantage of leaving them a bit longer is that there is a good population of young bees ready to accept the new cell.
I've also left a gap of 4-6 weeks and allowed the mini-nuc to raise a scrub queen before putting a new cell in. This works OK and means you don't have to fill the box again for a second round late in the season.