Hello All,
My method of early spring nucs in the  weather of the Midwest.  My  system
is based on the bees brood rearing cycle.
Egg for three days
larva for 5 to 5 1/2 days
capped at 8 to 8 1/2 days
Now you have a capped over cell from which the bee emerges 21 days from the
day the egg was laid.
If you subtract the eight days of egg and open larva stage you have a
thirteen  day   period of which it is capped.
On the 13th day if you open the cap you will find a glistening white pupa
 "    "    14th  "    "    "     "      "     "     "     "     "    the
eyes show a pale red
 "   "     15th "    "     "    "       "     "      "    "     "     "
"      "      red
"    "      17th  "   "    "    "       "     "      "    "      "    "
"      " purple and the thorax has turned yellow
On the 18th day the abdomen turns yellow
On the 19th day the antenna darken
On the 21 st day the wings extend and emergence is due.
The point of me putting all this in print is there are allways some nice
days before your queens arrive(but not usually when you are installing
queens right).
Go into the hives you are going to make up nucs from and choose the frames
for your nucs a couple weeks before the queens arrive. Mark the frames. I
use colored tacks pushed in the frame. Then when you later are pressed for
time simply choose the frames you picked at the earlier time (less old
queen) and make up your nucs. My friends always say I spend way to much time
working my bees but can't argue with my success.
Sincerely,
Bob Harrison
Odessa,Missouri