Prying apart paynes nuc and brood extension

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
If they were empty what would of stuck them together, or do you mean like if the bees in them had all died.

Keith said
Has anyone an easy way of prying apart the paynes nuc and brood extension without damaging them. I had to give up on a couple this morning as I thought my fingers were going to break.
The photo I see does not show bees or frames in boxes
If there are no longer bees or frames in these boxes I should have perhaps said, then they are empty and so he can proceed as I suggested. I assume there was once bees or frames in there to instigate the problem. He doesn't say if they just stuck together when placed. Can't see if there are any bees in them from the photo.......is it a trick question HM? :confused::)
 
Last edited:
sorry, but the boxes are not empty but jammed full of bees and in the photo I was only trying to show the small grip hold that I had to try and prize them apart. I would of had to separate them already in order to take the frames and the bees out , so they would not be stuck together now. I was going to take them out of the double nuc and put them into a polyhive with a super as they needed more room with the ivy flow that is on at the moment, but I just gave them another brood extension instead. I will part them in the spring
 
I have this problem with a couple of my poly nucs. Being full of bees there is nothing that can prize them apart without forcing something between the join. I use the flat end of my hive tool and insert it at both ends of the box to crack the seal. Unfortunately the polystyrene does suffer from slight indentations afterwards.
My bees have covered the nucs with so much propolis that they get stuck back together just from the weight of the super when it's put back on. I can't scrape it off without damaging the top edge of the box further and I don't want to disturb the bees by moving them out in order to melt the propolis off. I'm going to slather Vaseline on top of the propolised edges and hope i can open them up come spring without inflicting further dents.
I'm finding my lovely new poly nucs are looking somewhat old and battered already. The joys of poly.
 
sorry, but the boxes are not empty but jammed full of bees and in the photo

Have you tried that are the frames jammed to each other?..
Take off frames from upper box to spare box.

If boxes are sealed with propolis, it is in the inside joint. Draw with carpet knife the propolis broken. But I bet that burr between frames is the reason.

.
 
Last edited:
Have you tried that are the frames jammed to each other?..
Take off frames from upper box to spare box.

If boxes are sealed with propolis, it is in the inside joint. Draw with carpet knife the propolis broken. But I bet that burr between frames is the reason.

.

I agree. Even just lifting the frames slightly in the top box will break the brace-comb. On the few occasions I have separated brood boxes in the last month or so they have been solid with tough comb between the frames.
 
Back
Top