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Thread: 2 in 1 poly nuc box

  1. #11
    Senior Member prakel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Adam View Post
    Thornes do one for £30 (without a feeder) which, in my one at least, has some incorrect bee spaces so I would not recommend it.
    I've had the opposite experience, I think those Stehr boxes are great. Simple box that takes frames of bees. I don't need or want anything else from them. Can't say I've noticed any issues that could be put down to incorrect bee space although I assume they must have come from the same set of moulds.

  2. #12

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    Thanks for all the advice folks. I went with the BS 2 in 1 nuc as I thought for an amateur it offers the flexibility of using it as a mating hive or a full 6 frame nuc. I'll let you know how I get on in the spring.

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by fatshark View Post
    Late to the thread ...

    A couple of comments. The Thorne's Everynuc is pretty good. Best if you use Langstroths, but they convert it to National sized using an internal feeder. The walls and the roof are good and thick and strong. The entrance is too big and the bee space is a bit off at one end. Nevertheless, the bees do really well in them overwinter.
    I added candy to my Everynuc’s today and they seem to be doing OK so far. It’s the first time I’ve overwintered bees in them. I hope they don’t go hell for leather in this mild weather because I think they will pay the price later when the weather changes. Here’s a few photos (note the black bees). On the -side while checking some of my main colonies I found one that had dwindled away to just a few bees. Plenty of stores but no queen and no sign of anything wrong in their brood area. She might have failed in the autumn and some of the bees might have ended up in the hives next door.
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    Last edited by lindsay s; 25-02-2019 at 06:33 PM.

  4. #14

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    Good looking nucleus - lovely bees! What is the origin of these?

  5. #15
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    Thanks F D. Post 98 on this link might help a little bit. Because of varroa I think the last imports of bees into Orkney were in 2002/2003 (l can’t be 100% sure). Black bees have always done better in our climate and were the dominant colour then. The few yellow colonies around at that time either died out or bred with the blacks. I know that some of our colonies are hybrids and others have a high AMM percentage. Bee samples from here were sent of to last years SNHS survey. I’ve just joined the society and I hope to be at their Kinross meeting.
    http://www.sbai.org.uk/sbai_forum/sh...ud-bees/page10

  6. #16
    Senior Member Adam's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by prakel View Post
    I've had the opposite experience, I think those Stehr boxes are great. Simple box that takes frames of bees. I don't need or want anything else from them. Can't say I've noticed any issues that could be put down to incorrect bee space although I assume they must have come from the same set of moulds.
    The Thornes box has too wide a space for the frames so comb tends to be built at the ends of the frames; maybe I got an early one and the error was corrected for as the box had been reduced down by polystyrene spacers from the original internal size; it would be easy to supply the correct spacer material.

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    I’ve had to adapt the inside to give them top bee space and to give my Smith frames a better fit. But the bees still have plenty of room to build brace comb. I’m going to have fun prising the frames apart on their first spring inspection!!! If my polynucs do the job I will be getting more and I’ll just put up with their niggles.
    Last edited by lindsay s; 27-02-2019 at 06:36 PM.

  8. #18
    Senior Member fatshark's Avatar
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    I've made similar changes to my Everynucs to accommodate National frames. However, I use the integral feeder and they seem to cope pretty well with it. Topping up the fondant involves just prising up the end of the lid and sliding a lump in.

    180908-011.jpg

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    Nice link Fatshark 😀. I have bought their top feeders which are really good, but the only downside is another third is added to the Everynuc’s cost. I only feed homemade candy as an insurance when it’s to cold for syrup. The carriage costs for bee fondant make it far to expensive to use up here.

  10. #20
    Senior Member prakel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Adam View Post
    The Thornes box has too wide a space for the frames so comb tends to be built at the ends of the frames; maybe I got an early one and the error was corrected for as the box had been reduced down by polystyrene spacers from the original internal size; it would be easy to supply the correct spacer material.
    The ones I've got (bought about 3 years ago) have that gap filled in with sheets of the same poly as the box is made of. Maybe I got lucky!

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