What would you do?

I would try to winter them in a 5 on five configuration and feed feed feed you will be suprised at how well they over winter this way. If you can get them thru a couple of brood cycles a cantalope size swarm shouldnd have and problem making it thru the winter the key is enough food and young bees. But taking advise from me can be risky after all I have been know to jump out of perfectly good flying airplanes a couple of times.

 

If you want to add bees to it, just move the hive you want to take them from and put the swarm in it's place. The returning foragers will take up with the swarm. After a week, if you want to add more, switch it with a different hive.

 

Only you can judge the swarm. Do they have enough stores to last, and enough bees to cover and tend the brood, for two weeks?

A 5 on 5 is a two story, 5 frame nuc hive. It is believed that two 5 frame nuc boxes work better to build up in then a 10 frame hive body.

 

I don't know what you have, but what I meant was just stack two nuc boxes on top of each other. I have never seen a box built especially for that.

Some beeks, when a nuc box is full, will add another nuc box on top instead of transferring them to a ten frame box. They say bees will work vertically faster than they will work horizontally.

 

No better time than now with the cantelope swarm

 

I like double nucs. ie 5 on 5. I use a top nuc box feeder also..

I don't now what area of NC you are in, but I think you have a few brood cycles left to get some numbers up. I know my weather is close to the Western mountain regions and we still have time. I just made some splits last weekend here in Michigan. Feed Feed Feed. Hope all goes well.

 

Good luck. That said, the strong sent of the HBH will attract robbers. I would remove it and use syrup without it and put a robbing screen on the entrance.

 

yes, HBH, is an attractant. Tia, dont over think things. Just let the bees do, and work them naturally and pay attention to their ways. not OURs. Good for your own learning. As honey bees go... yup, Robber screens are a good idea,.. thats their natural instinct... so yup.. make or buy them.
Just me PK

 

I'm one of those believing beeks too, Iddee. This is a big truth in my beekeeping book!

 

PK, do you mind if I use this quote to our students next spring? Everybody (our students this year) wants to manage honeybees like they're people. They ain't people, they're bugs, they think like bugs, they act like bugs, I wish our students would learn the way of the bee, like we try to teach 'em.

 

I will agree with the building up also. From the cut outs that I have seen and done If you will look at them closely the bees will build vertical over horizontal more often. This is only said from the stand point that they have room to move in either direction.

G3

 

What I've done is put a divider board (homemade) that separates a Deep into a 5 next to a five. I found both "nucs" were so busy that I put another deep on top along with another divider. I guess it would be called a poor mans' 5 on 5. It worked beautifully. That is until one hive chewed thorugh the divider. I didn't realize this happened until I found a dead queen on the landing board. It was an instant 3/4 strength double deep in early March. I split it ASAP and found that the remaining queen was injured in the fight and was missing a rear leg. She did really well until I found swarm cells. I piched her, left a couple capped queen cells and took 4 frames of brood with attendants and swarm cells. They didn't seem to miss a beat. In short the 5 on 5 design gives you a very strong nuc with reserves come spring.

However, upon review, if you try what I do don't make my mistake and use foamboard. This year I'll be using some home-cut plastic board that they can't burrow through.

 

Fatscher,

Yes. You may use those words, for your bee class.