BBKA Forum

British Beekeepers Association Official Forum 

  • DIY Nucs Spruced Up..

  • Bee Hive building & a place to share howto's on equipment
Bee Hive building & a place to share howto's on equipment
 #7243  by Steve 1972
 20 May 2020, 19:28
Nothing to do with the bees and too warm today to do anything else so i pulled my two homemade nucs out of the shed and give them a make over..these are both six frame nucs with open mesh floors and inspection trays..
Made from 3/4 exterior ply with deep roofs ..both of which have 50mm of kingspan /celotexin each roof..
My make over was to put handles on front and back/give them a lick of strainer and change the black butyle pond liner on the roofs for stick on metal (a bit like aluminum tape but a lot thicker and more durable..
Apart from the hot weather with not much to do the reason that kick started me into this little project was the price of poly nucs these days..i bought a few Paynes six frame nucs several years ago that are still going strong but the price has nearly doubled..
I only need the things for making new colonies each year with bought in Queens that go into national brood boxes before the weather cools for winter..some like over wintering Nucs in six frame nucs but i find them too much hassle with constant checking and feeding in the depths of winter..if i can get them into full brood boxes before the day light hours start to slow down i can give them plenty of thymol syrup to get them over winter with the odd top up with fondant..that does not always happen or work but most times it does..here is my bodge it and scarper anyway.. :D

Image
 #7253  by Steve 1972
 21 May 2020, 12:22
Japey Edge wrote:
21 May 2020, 07:52
They look bonny Steve!
Cheers Jazz..i have used them a few times over the years and apart from the weight they do the same job as the poly nucs through out summer.. ;)
 #7255  by Chrisbarlow
 21 May 2020, 14:08
They look nice.
 #7265  by stechad
 21 May 2020, 19:21
Nice job there Steve, btu now you have done that you do realise you won't need them until they are buried in the shed and covered in crap again.
 #7293  by Steve 1972
 22 May 2020, 10:41
stechad wrote:
21 May 2020, 19:21
Nice job there Steve, btu now you have done that you do realise you won't need them until they are buried in the shed and covered in crap again.
Probably :lol: ...

Seriously though i will be buying more Queens in at the back end of July probably five.. i have three mongrel colonies that are basically wasting equipment..for all that they are fairly gentle the honey yield is 1/3 of the amount that my good colonies are making and the little devils try to swarm every year.. sometimes twice..
I will be re Queening those colonies by uniting some of these Nucs once they strong enough..
 #7296  by stechad
 22 May 2020, 11:24
Steve 1972 wrote:
22 May 2020, 10:41
i have three mongrel colonies that are basically wasting equipment..for all that they are fairly gentle the honey yield is 1/3 of the amount that my good colonies are making and the little devils try to swarm every year.. sometimes twice..
I will be re Queening those colonies by uniting some of these Nucs once they strong enough..
Same problem here steve, I have 4 colonies at home now, brought a split back from a friend yesterday.
My original colonies have brought a teaspoon of honey in between them this year, It's blowing an absolute hooley here today and the n the split is piling the bees out and are foraging everything they can find in the garden, the other 3 you wouldn't think there were bees in there. 2 have been re-queened but not got going with new bees yet.
Steve