K>From: Kevin & Ann Christensen <[log in to unmask]>
 >Date:         Sun, 31 Mar 1996 16:16:21 -0700
 >Subject:      Bulk Bees in Mating Nucs
 
K>Could any of the queen breeders out there suggest a fast and simple =
 >method of trasferring bulk bees into mating baby nucs without injury to =
 >the bees?  I understand that most people simply spray the bees down with =
 >syrup so that they are easier to handle.  Is there another way?
 
K>Kevin Christensen
 
Hello Kevin & Ann,
 
A spam can with a long handle is what we use. Easy to make and with
our size nucs one can full of bees is all they will hold.
 
Also you can make a rim that extends the top edges of the bulk cage a
bit and spray pam on it to keep the bees from crawling out. Also keep
them sprayed down with weak sugar solution.
 
We do the stocking of nucs after dark, using yellow bug lights to
see by. We put in the cells in just before adding the bees. After
stocking we stack the nucs on special pallets and move them into a small
building with a water cooler to keep them cool. It gets pretty warm here
sometimes and we want to keep the bees quit. The building also has
misters on its tin roof. By the end of the season it does smell like a
fish cannery for sure.
 
Each queen breeder has a different plan for stocking baby nucs and
a lot depends on the weather in your area and the type of equipment
used.
 
Some hints based on bad experiences. Don't use any smoke when stocking
nucs or around them before they are taken out to the queen yards. Smoke
makes them run and running bees are hot bees, and hot bees are a real
problem as they will consume all the feed, get constipated and leave
the nuc the first time the entrance is open,..most never return or
return to the wrong one. Remember sealed queen cells to bees are the
same as teats on a bore hog. They have no special plan to protect them
and if they do not share the same space as the bees they will be
ignored.
                 Hope that helps, Good Luck!  ttul Andy-
 
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 ~ QMPro 1.53 ~ ... When the bee-hive casts its swarm;