Lloyd, I got the idea for drawing frames this way from an article in
American Bee Journal March 2003-"Experimenting with Nucs" by Roy
Hendrickson.
1,)I use this method to increase the number of mating nucs that I use for
Queen & Nuc Sales. This year I used 10 nuc setups(3nuc brood boxes) for
drawing frames. I did not keep records on the frames made as I was trying
to make as many as possible. Approximate quantities 10-12 frames per month
per nuc, at times better. It would start out slow and build faster as the
bees and brood matured.
I used a queen excluder & confined the queen to the bottom nuc this fall
and was able to create straight clean frames of "sugar honey" for the bees
to feed on this winter. I am trying to overwinter 50 five frame nucs as
singles and doubles.
2.) The feeder I use is a Miller type feeder made to the size of a 5-frame
nuc. My originals were purchased from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm in NC and
the queen excluders came from Rossman Aparies in Ga.
3.) Concerning swarming- Since I am continually robbing brood, drawn comb,
and/or sugar filled frames and adding them to new mating nuc's, replacing
old brood comb, or equalizing hives; I have not had any problems with
swarming.
The above article is very interesting and can give a different point of
view as to the multiple uses of nuc's.
Hope I have answered your questions sufficently.
Thanks
Frank Wyatt
Eden, NC

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