Overwintering 5 frame Rose nucs

[olriley]

Hi. These being a bit shallower than Nationals (190 vs 225mm), should I be concerned about the winter viability of 5-frame Rose nucs? Anyone done it?

To be clear, I haven't established these yet, I am considering making a couple up with donations from two of my stronger colonies, each with 2 brood frames, two of honey / pollen stores and one drawn comb. Each would be introduced a mated queen (bought in).

Too late in the year? I haven't used nucs before.

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere, reading all I can!


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[user 6228]

Just add insulation in inverse proportion to the number of bees. This will give you the same ratio of colony mass to thermal conductance as the baseline colony.
This means the amount of effort or stress per bee is unchanged.


Mitchell, D. (2016). Ratios of colony mass to thermal conductance of tree and man-made nest enclosures of Apis mellifera: implications for survival, clustering, humidity regulation and Varroa destructor. International Journal of Biometeorology, 60(5), 629–638. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-015-1057-z

 

[user 6228]

duplicate

 

[olriley]

Thank you. If I determine to treat the donor hives with Apilife var - doing some mite counts in next few days - which would take me to the fourth week in September to complete, I imagine it would be getting riskily late in the season?


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[olriley]

I mean late to make the nucs.


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[olriley]

I don't think it's too late to make the nucs, but I might have a problem - I only have one apiary site. Is there a way to do it and still give the nucs some flying bees without moving them far? Thanks


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[Finman]

.
You have 5 hives. You should weaken your other hives to make a nuc.
Let it be now and do a new hive next summer.

Build up in spring is very slow in such nuc.

 

[olriley]

.

You have 5 hives. You should weaken your other hives to make a nuc.

Let it be now and do a new hive next summer.

Thanks. I don't want to risk their survival. I could do some splits in Spring instead.

 

[Finman]

Thanks. I don't want to risk their survival. I could do some splits in Spring instead.

Let the hives grow first big. Then do such split, that it begins grow with full speed.

If you have a swarm, it should fill at least one box. You may strenghten the swarm to such size.

 

[For want of a better word]

We have overwintered OSB nucs with 50mm Celotex insulation in lid.... basically because they were "rescued" Cornish Amm acquired in October and it was a bit late to move them into full hives.
Only have one season of using the OSB RoseHive system,, but it works very well particularly with our local native dark bees... that seem to like brood + 1/2 ( ie 2 x OSB 18" boxes)

One size frame makes it simple to build colonies to split or make up nucs for your spring queen rearing... and of course to overwinter queens as 2 OSB nucs fit together on standard floor under a standard roof!

Yeghes da

 

[Finman]

We have overwintered OSB nucs with 50mm Celotex insulation in lid.... b

Only have one season of using the OSB RoseHive system,, da

I have overwintered two and one frame colonies with terrarium heaters. That is not a problem. But problem is that you must rob brood frames from bigger hive, that you get a productive hive from that tiny cluster.

When you want new colonies, make them in May or June. Then hives have time to build up. Why new colonies should made in the most difficult time of year.

 

[Finman]

.
Rose hive system has nothing special.
No excluder and all boxes are same size. It does not help any wintering or nuc making.

 

[For want of a better word]

.
Rose hive system has nothing special.
No excluder and all boxes are same size. It does not help any wintering or nuc making.

Then you should buy and read the Rose Hive book, Langstroths man... before jumping to conclusions???

Nos da

 

[Finman]

Then you should buy and read the Rose Hive book, Langstroths man... before jumping to conclusions???

Nos da

I have nursed that way my hives 55 years.

Mr Rose says, that Rose hive has no diseases.... when you do not use excluder.
That easy.

Rose hive method book 125$
.
Instead of burning hives, your inspectors should order to use Rose method in sick hives.

.

 

[irishguy]

Hi. These being a bit shallower than Nationals (190 vs 225mm), should I be concerned about the winter viability of 5-frame Rose nucs? Anyone done it?

To be clear, I haven't established these yet, I am considering making a couple up with donations from two of my stronger colonies, each with 2 brood frames, two of honey / pollen stores and one drawn comb. Each would be introduced a mated queen (bought in).

Too late in the year? I haven't used nucs before.

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere, reading all I can!


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I have overwintered with 1 frame of brood successfully on two occasions! If you start a thread asking would it be OK to overwinter with one frame, the majority on here will tell you its a waste of time to try it. I say, go for it. It's worth trying and don't be surprised when them nucs are full colonies next year

 

[olriley]

I don't think the Rose system is particularly special. Plenty of American beeks use a One-sized box with no queen excluder? have family in Czech and an OSB design is common there, not sure about their QX approach though.


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[olriley]

How different is it to a Langstroth, icanhopit? Genuine question, I am now really familiar.


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[olriley]

I have overwintered with 1 frame of brood successfully on two occasions! If you start a thread asking would it be OK to overwinter with one frame, the majority on here will tell you its a waste of time to try it. I say, go for it. It's worth trying and don't be surprised when them nucs are full colonies next year

Thanks Irishguy, good to know


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[Finman]

I have overwintered with 1 frame of brood successfully on two occasions!

I have overwintered many times small nucs. In most cases they die or get nosema. Often they dwindle away during early spring.

But if want to do, you do.

 

[irishguy]

I have overwintered many times small nucs. In most cases they die or get nosema. Often they dwindle away during early spring.

But if want to do, you do.

Twice those single frames have built into nucs, then full colonies. That's all I can go on. I've also lost good size colonies so I'm not saying I'm Billy big bollix here looking some sort of prize because I've successfully wintered with 2 frame. All I can tell you, twice I've overwintered with 1 frame and they survived winter. Forget to mention, plenty of insulation too.

This year, no treatment again and we'll see how I get on come spring.