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Well of course your operations are large....very busy and must be done correctly...for your business.
I only have one mini nuc...just to try.....my other nucs are 6 frame poly nucs. I intend insulating them down to 3 frames. You beekeepers are so generous with ideas and help. The whole breeding of queens is fascinating...so many methods....I am going to keep it as simple as possible but to familiarise myself with the manipulation so to get the best chance of some good queens. If I end up with 6 colonies and 6 nucs to over winter then I will be very satisfied...if a few less...I will still be very happy for having had the experience. Thank you all for the contributions...really appreciated.
 
Most of our mini nucs are run all year round, so just a case of adding ripe cells after removal of mated queens, plus splitting mini nucs to make more as they get stronger.
The apideas and swi-bines are started fresh each spring, starter strips fitted and feed compartment filled, usually at the apiary the boxes are lined up with the floor slides open, young bees are shaken from the super combs of multiple colonies into a meshed shaker box, these are then measured out into each mini nuc and the slide closed. Around two hours later a virgin is run in from a roller cage through entrance of each nuc, they are then kept confined for two nights to bond before being placed out in position, last thing, just before dark.

HM
Do you have any problems with absconding bees... or do you think having a virgin queen locked in with them over three nights ties then to the mating nuc.??

I have tried all ways and I always get one lot wanting to move in with the neighbors... I have my mating nucs on stands ... three to a stand facing opposite directions and about 3 feet apart.

Yeghes da
 
HM
Do you have any problems with absconding bees... or do you think having a virgin queen locked in with them over three nights ties then to the mating nuc.??

I have tried all ways and I always get one lot wanting to move in with the neighbors... I have my mating nucs on stands ... three to a stand facing opposite directions and about 3 feet apart.

Yeghes da

Only do two nights confinment, not convinced they really need that long either, i find introducing the virgin soon after making up the nuc best, while the bees from multiple sources are still confused.

Never had them absconding with the wooden mini nucs, but they already contain brood and young bees... but i do occasionally get some that abscond from the poly mini nucs, never many, about three or four a season, which i find usually coincides with one of those sudden rare heat waves and effects some of the nucs that have been placed in full sun, and perhaps a few too many bees been added, never a problem with those that are in the shade.

Only have one nuc per stand these days, a post with a wooden platform on top and the nuc held on with a rubber band, and no problems with one nuc joining the other doing it this way.
 

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