Overwinter in a nuc or a brood box?

We have a newly mated queen in a six frame nuc who is laying like crazy. On inspection today there were four frames of brood. Should we leave her in the nuc to overwinter or would it be better to move her and the frames into a brood box. I know that her laying rate should drop but I am worried that there is not much room for winter stores in the nuc. Any suggestions please.

There is over a week left in August, the whole of September, October and even possibly November. Who knows whether the season ends late September or very much later?

Two ways of looking at it. Admit defeat now and leave it in the nuc or be positive and go for a full (or almost full) brood box.

They can always be put back in a nuc if they do not fare too well in the full box. The full box can be reduced with insulated dividers, if a couple frames short.

You have enough colonies to reinforce this one, depending on their state of course. You could use excess brood from the nuc to help other colonies, if you decide to start winter shut-down preparations now.

You could get a second storey for the nuc. Nucs often need extra feeding in the winter. Mine don't, but they would normally be 6 frames of 14 x12 and likely a shallow box above in a poly-box. You choose your plan and go with it.

Down to you, but just some things to consider.

RAB

RAB - where did you get your poly shallow box for your nuc? I also have a 6 frame 14x12 and am considering my options over the coming weeks.

ValMc said:

We have a newly mated queen in a six frame nuc who is laying like crazy. On inspection today there were four frames of brood. Should we leave her in the nuc to overwinter or would it be better to move her and the frames into a brood box. I know that her laying rate should drop but I am worried that there is not much room for winter stores in the nuc. Any suggestions please.

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She wants to increase to a point where she knows she is strong enough..... Give her the chance, you can always revert to a nuc if you absolutely have to!
E

Blue Spinnaker,

Sorry, there should have been an 'or' beteween the 'above' and 'in'. Timber get the half-Dartington super and the polynucs generally go through, maybe with a sliver of fondant later in the winter or a frame of surplus stores from the autumn., if needed.

RAB

But ... only give her a couple of extra frames at a time .. dummy down the rest of the hive and fill it with insulation ... the temperature has dropped down here this week and in order to draw out new frames they will need to keep the hive temperature up .. too much space for the colony to do this and they won't draw the frames out let alone fill them...

double story nuc, top story out of recticel/kingspan

I agree with Pargyle. I'm in exactly the same situation with 3 of my 6-frame nucs which are bursting at the seams, and I'll be putting them into brood boxes or Long Hives (whatever's free at the time) early next week, dummied down to 8 frames. Then I'll just see how it goes - and expand by a couple of frames each time an inspection indicates that's appropriate.

LJ

derekm said:

double story nuc, top story out of recticel/kingspan

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I just take the floor off, fill it with frames, lift roof off the full one and bung the new one on top....

Dishmop said:

I just take the floor off, fill it with frames, lift roof off the full one and bung the new one on top....

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I agree. Fantastically useful bit of kit, a second storey (floor removed) nuc box.
<ADD>Cut a hole in the roof and screw it to the bottom</ADD>

There is no difference between nuc and brood as long as you dummy down the brood box

yeogi75 said:

There is no difference between nuc and brood as long as you dummy down the brood box

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only if the partition used is :

1) the same thickness and material as the hive sides
2) sealed to roof
3) sealed to the walls
4) sealed at the rail rebate

Which I would presume would be the case if leaving in the brood box over winter