Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[Highlander]

I'm in the West of Scotland.

I've just picked up what looks to be a nuc hive.

It was left in a garden a few weeks ago by a tenant who did a moonlight flit and through a friend of a friend (because I keep bees) I was asked to remove it.

I've had a quick peek in the top of it last night after I brought it home, it has 4 frames and looks to be fairly healthy with a good number of bees in there.

Bee traffic this morning is pretty busy, there are now bees returning with pollen fairly constantly.

I have a couple of well established hives already but i'm still pretty new to beekeeping and finding myself with a 4 frame nuc, especially since its October tomorrow is way out of my depth!

I have room at either end of my TBH's for them but they look to be on National frames and would need cropped, would that be too much for them to recover from?

Can I do anything to help them or are they unlikely to make it?

Help!


.

[biobee]

I would suggest that you don't attempt to transfer them into a TBH this late in the season.

Two possibilities:

1. Transfer them into a National brood box and feed them heavily with 2:1 so they can build up stores in time for winter, or

2. Keep them in the nuc and put a good lump of fondant into an eke on top of it, so they can overwinter in that. Make sure they have some floor-level ventilation.

Either way, keep them somewhere sheltered from wind and rain, and if they stay in the nuc, an extra wrapping may not be a bad idea - not that you have particularly cold winters in your area, but the cluster will be relatively small and some additional help may be good.

Whichever route you choose, I would consider at least a powdered sugar treatment ASAP to knock down most of the mites - you don't want them going into winter with an overload.

[Highlander]

I'll get on the powdered sugar right away.

Thanks for your help

[Highlander]

Looking good with this one so far

When I removed the frames for a look there was very little in the way of stores but still quite a lot of brood.

I've been feeding them constantly for the last couple of weeks and yesterday the activity around the nuc was huge with many bees bringing in pollen

I made up a wooden box to take the national frames and give them a bit more room, so far they have started building on the next two frames.

I'd also had the nuc box sitting against my shed for the last few weeks but I have now moved it inside the shed and secured it to the wall, making a hole in the wall for their entrance.

New entrance is only about 18 inches from the old entrance they had when the box was outside and they never batted an eye.

Fingers crossed!

[biobee]

Good luck!