Propagating Your Own ApiaryThe What and Whyof Nucleus Colonies

September

January

March

Question:Where can I get more BEES?!?!?

Where?

NUCLEUS COLONIES

They’re in this box.

APR MAY JUN JUL AUG

Conventional system:

Purchased packages or

nucleus colonies

$

Typical nectar flow

Control swarmingOver-wintered

colony

Over-wintered colony

OR…

APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP

Alternative system:

Typical nectar flow

SwarmingOver-wintered

colony

Pre-swarm splits(nucs)

Weak colony

Mid-summer splits(nucs)

BCBA Queen CellsWild Q. Cells

Over-wintered colonies

NUCLEUS COLONIES

Why Nucleus Colonies? 1. To make new queens/colonies, i.e. allow nuc to raise

its own queen.2. To split large swarmy colonies.3. To isolate swarm cells, avert swarming. 4. To hive a swarm.5. To store old retired queens.6. To form mating nucs for queen rearing.7. To establish a new queen for requeening large colony.8. To move stock, i.e. brood, bees, stores, among colonies,

among bee yards.9. To control Varroa by splitting and queenless period.10.To winter nucleus units and queens.

Minimum composition:• One frame mostly capped brood• One frame nectar (or honey) and pollen• Nurse bees from 2-3 frames of brood

comb

Source of Queen

Laying or virgin queen

“Wild” swarm cell

Queen cell from graft

Strategies:• Remove a few frames of bees, brood, stores from

strong colony, e.g. to discourage swarming, to open the brood nest.

• Completely break up strong colony into many nucs, esp. during dearth.

• Completely break up weak colony into nucs – best use of weak colonies.

Avoiding robbing:• Small entrance.• Feed dry sugar or fondant, not

syrup.

Longer term:Adjust hive volume to match colony strength: e.g. follower boards to reduce volume, move to larger boxes and/or add supers to increase space.

No nucleus box?Move queen to top box, with NO capped brood or Q cells

Excluder goes here

Honey super

Capped brood and all queen cells stay here

QUEEN

QUEEN CELLS

Colony preparing to swarm

Rule: to prevent swarming,

separate queen from brood.

Two weeks later…Old laying queen

New laying queen

Nurse bees& Brood

Making up nucs: How NOT to include the queen.

BroodBees, brood, & Queen All the

bees & queen

1. Remove top brood box from

strong colony; set it aside.

2. Shake ALL the bees into the bottom box.

Empty boxNo frames“funnel”

3. Put an excluder over the box with ALL the bees and

queen.

4. Put the now bee-less and

QUEEN-LESS box of brood above

the excluder

One day

Bees, & Queen

Shake

Queen

Brood covered by nurse bees

QUEEN

One day later…

Distribute frames of brood and nurse bees among

nucleus boxes.

Critical points of nucleus colony formation:• Don’t unintentionally add a queen.

• Give them at least a frame of brood and a frame of stores (honey & pollen), both covered with bees.

• Ensure enough workers to care for brood: shake in extra frames of bees if keeping in home apiary.

• Small entrance to discourage robbing.

• Feed dry sugar, not syrup, during dearth.

• Provide shade in hot weather.

Wintering nucleus colonies: shoot for 15-20 lbs of stores

Wintering nucleus colonies: clustered together

Wintering nucleus colonies: atop strong colony

Nucleus colony

Strong colony

Double screen

Wintering nucleus colonies: outbuilding

Wintering nucleus colonies: outbuilding

Why Nucleus Colonies? 1. To make new queens/colonies, i.e. allow nuc to raise

its own queen.2. To split large swarmy colonies.3. To isolate swarm cells, avert swarming. 4. To hive a swarm.5. To store old retired queens.6. To form mating nucs for queen rearing..7. To establish a new queen for requeening large colony.8. To move stock, i.e. brood, bees, stores, among colonies,

among bee yards.9. To control Varroa by splitting and queenless period.10.To winter nucleus units and queens.

Yes, Nucs