I paint poly/insulation with masonry paint. When dry cover with Cuprinol Garden Shades....
I paint poly/insulation with masonry paint. When dry cover with Cuprinol Garden Shades....
If you go to all the trouble to convert a Paynes poly nuc to 8 frames ...
ImageUploadedByTapatalk 21373479396.633761.jpg
... make sure you use 8 frames !
And make one of them drone comb to keep them happy.
Hmmm .... less sure of that. I want them to build up, not get swamped with drones. I think an expanding nuc has less need of drones and suspect that a full frame of drone comb might encourage them to think about early swarm preparations. I might consider adding a shallow frame and let them build what they want below ... except I've just used my last few (and use drone foundation in supers anyway D'oh!)
Hey Fatshark - looks like they've built their own drone comb there to save you the bother!
I have to say that despite the talk of thin roofs, seemingly smallish populations of bees (in my 6-frame versions) can sustain wall-to-wall rapid expansion when conditions are right. The insulation must be contributing to their success.
Bees do build up quickly in the Paynes Nucs
Fatshark
They might like a bit more leg room in a full size hive
I just moved the swarm I put in a Paynes Nuc not long ago
They were on 6 frames of which 5 frames of brood now
Two brood boxes, Big spacers and 6 frames of foundation in the top box over the brood
1:1 syrup to help them draw out the wax
Was a bit dull today they are Buckfast/Italian type bees very healthy slightly grumpy (not followers though)
One with wall-to-wall brood and eggs is now settling in to a full sized wooden National in Sylvia's garden. Another is doing the same in the grounds of Hillcrest in Dundee. One concern is that there seem too few bees for the brood especially when placed in a large wooden hive, but before a week is up there will be maybe 3 frames of brood hatching producing 6 frames of bees to help the effort. I'm sure that if they were in a wooden box (or even a correx one) from the start they would not build so quickly.
All fed completely on floral forage of one kind or another . Rape, sycamore, fruit, hawthorn and now ragwort, lime, spring rape, bramble and clover. Willowherb is just coming out too. Saw decent stands of bell heather in full flower in the Sidlaws tonight too.
I know ...
I have an ongoing box shortage ... or more precisely roof shortage. I think the only unused one is on my bait hive in my garden ... and that was getting a lot of attention this evening, so I'm loath to dismantle it for a day or two. There were so many scouts about I nearly had to put a veil on to run a hairdryer over the last few supers (something else I've run out of) of foundation before taking them out to the apiary this evening. The smell of warm wax had them appearing in droves.
Another swarm would be welcome. We still have beginners waiting for bees and I have more queens coming on stream to requeen swarms or make up nucs. I tend to give the unwanted Q from the swarm away, although I'm aware I should probably sacrifice her to improve the quality of local queens. Perhaps I should only donate them to distant friends?! I think I've handed out three on this week.
So, the bait hive stays until Saturday. If the swarm isn't here by then I'll rehouse the Paynes nuc ...
PS The equipment shortage isn't so bad I've been reduced to using my two MB poly Nationals. These are tucked down an alley at the side of the house, unused and definitely unloved. I should switch one of them for the bait hive ... and then flog the swarm (if it appears) and the poly hive it's in ;-)
PPS Jon is about to remind me about Correx roofs ... rightly. I only have one substantial sheet left and was going to use it to make dividers for 'Twinstock' 2x3 frame nucs.
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