Our practice goes like this: In spring we take care of the better colonies, helping them to grow bigger (patties + light syrup). We do not care much of the small or slow on building up (apart from not let them starve). We promote drones on selected big colonies (1 drone hive for 50 queens to be mated). When the big colonies are full (10 frames exploding) and drones are mature, we make three frames nucs + feeder. One with honey+pollen, one with capped old brood (purple eyes) and one with open brood. We insert ripped cells. We might shake the bees of one frame to boost them a bit if the ring of capped brood is not big enough. After the queen had matted (we check at day 21), we add the queen less ones with the queen right on its side. Depending on the ammount of bees we might do this on the 5 frames nuc box or in a brood chamber. We feed the nucs with 2 litres of thick syrup + liquid protein. After 11 days we boost those nucs with a couple of capped brood frames taken from the big colonies. All this in a brood chamber. We feed again in the frame feeder and might move a frame with foundation inside the cluster. I believe in this way we minimize the risk of the failing queens in the nucs and maximize the queen`s oviposition of the big colonies. It need more hand labour but that is not much of a problem over here. -- Juanse Barros J. APIZUR S.A. Carrera 695 Gorbea - CHILE +56-45-271693 08-3613310 http://apiaraucania.blogspot.com/ [log in to unmask] *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html Access BEE-L directly at: http://community.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-LSOFTDONATIONS.exe?A0=BEE-L