several Janet L. Wilson questions followed by> my comment...
1. how much you need to feed a new queen nuc/colony such that HRH lays at max rate, there are enough nurse bees to raise the young at max rate so you can be sure you are seeing which queens are truly the most fecund. I will be starting the ripe cells in mating nucs with three frames of bees and brood.
>several variable here including the amount of bees and feed in the box and of course weather... l do something like this in rearing nucs that I sell. optimally one frame of brood, one frame of solid honey and one frame of 'whatever' either in a three way queen castle or a jester nuc box.  if there is enough feed in the one or two frames they require no feeding.  I do feed a bit when the more populated nucs that are in the jester ez box and these I feed with baggie feeder and about one pint (half of a quart freezer bag) about one every 7 days to 10 days.  you do need some open comb in the box for the queen to begin to lay.

2. can you do this efficiently ie. feed once a week? Or do you need to feed more often?
> should depend on size of feeder but once a week is just a bit too frequent for everything I do here.  10 days is more like the frequency of my feeding.

3. I need an affordable-as-possible and efficient way to mix up the required volume all at once. A trash pump and agricultural container ie. 50 gallons capacity has been suggested. I would rather not work with a gas powered engine....are there pumps you can plug in to the house current and/or portable power supply that will mix 50 gallons of both 1:1 and 2:1?? Other tidy and easy to run options? Note: I have no local supplier of premixed sugar syrup.
>sound like the above is a bit oversized for what you are trying to accomplish.  I use a 12 gallon beer keg with the top cut off and a stainless 'nipple' welded to the bottom to which I have added a simple value.  Typically I make up about 9 gallons of juice at a time with 5 gallons of water and 50# of sugar.  I deliver the juice via 5 gallon plastic 'gasoline' can after mixing.... gasoline engines and pumps require upkeep and repair but gravity works all the time.  in almost all thing around queen rearing and nuc making any mix greater than 1 to 1 is unnecessary and likely counterproductive.  1 to 1 I can mix up via the hot water from my hot water heater but 2 to 1 requires an extra heat source.

Gene in Central Texas...

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