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International, Historic & Member Articles
International Beekeeping Forum
saving a hopeless colony.
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<blockquote data-quote="AdamD" data-source="post: 11512" data-attributes="member: 173"><p>Rather than take a queen, a small colony can be kick-started with a frame of brood with a queencell on it. (Or just a queencell). The general rule in the UK is to put a small colony is a small box so there is less space to heat and it allows the colony to grow quicker. Polystyrene nucs are very popular and work well.</p><p></p><p>A local beekeeper called me recently wanting to 'save' a colony of laying workers; first of all by buying a queen - won't work - and then he came back to me wanting to buy a nucleus colony. He was aware that he was wasting his time as all he had was a few frames of old tired bees which would probably be riddled with varroa. I reluctantly let him have a nuc which he put in the place of the laying worker colony for a week first to get the (few) flyers and then united the two and 'rescued' his old bees. It must have been touch and go as the new queen now has nibbled wings - so she must have just made it. He has just enough time to treat for varroa before winter is upon us. He would have been better allowing me to take any potential winter loss and collected a nuc from me in spring. But such is our attachment to these insects we don't always act rationally!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="AdamD, post: 11512, member: 173"] Rather than take a queen, a small colony can be kick-started with a frame of brood with a queencell on it. (Or just a queencell). The general rule in the UK is to put a small colony is a small box so there is less space to heat and it allows the colony to grow quicker. Polystyrene nucs are very popular and work well. A local beekeeper called me recently wanting to 'save' a colony of laying workers; first of all by buying a queen - won't work - and then he came back to me wanting to buy a nucleus colony. He was aware that he was wasting his time as all he had was a few frames of old tired bees which would probably be riddled with varroa. I reluctantly let him have a nuc which he put in the place of the laying worker colony for a week first to get the (few) flyers and then united the two and 'rescued' his old bees. It must have been touch and go as the new queen now has nibbled wings - so she must have just made it. He has just enough time to treat for varroa before winter is upon us. He would have been better allowing me to take any potential winter loss and collected a nuc from me in spring. But such is our attachment to these insects we don't always act rationally! [/QUOTE]
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saving a hopeless colony.
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