Installing a nuc

Snyder’s Apiaries

A Mann Lake Dealer

4747 Norrisville Road

White Hall, MD 21161

www.SnydersApiaries.com

Phone: 410-329-6671

NUC INSTALLATION

Preparing for your bees: (Please read these instructions carefully before beginning.)

All hive body equipment should be assembled, painted, and set in place at your bee yard location before your bees are scheduled to arrive.

Nuc Installation: (From Nuc to 10 frame deep Langstroth hive)

Install the nuc in the evening or early morning when the weather is cool. Light your smoker before beginning.
Place the nuc immediately next to the 10 frame deep super into which you will be installing. The deep super should be placed on a full or screened bottom board with entrance reducer set to the smallest opening.
To prepare the deep super to receive the nuc, remove 6 frames from the center and place them alongside the box. Always remove at least one more frame than the size of your nuc.Open the lid of the nuc. You may need to use your hive too! to break the propolis seal between the lid and the body of the nuc box.
Lightly smoke the bees across the top of the frames. This will help to calm the bees.

5. Remove the feeder from the nuc if there is one. If you wish to install this feeder in your hive, remove an outside frame and place it in your hive.

6. The next steps should be taken with slow, purposeful movements, taking extreme care to reduce the risk of harming the queen. Starting with one of the outer frames of the nuc, gently lift it up and out. You may need to use a hive tool to gently break the propolis seal between frames. Keep the frame over the box as much as possible and carefully move it over to the top of the hive body. Insert the frame next to one of the empty frames in the hive.

7. Transfer the remaining frames one at a time, making sure to place them in the box in the exact order in which they arrived. The bees have created a brood nest in the nuc and this order should be maintained. Finish placing frames to fill the box.

8. If using pollen patty place it on the top bars. Feed the bees ProSweet Liquid Feed or a 1:1 sugar mix.

9. Place the inner and telescoping covers on top of the hive. Ensure that the entrance reducer is in place utilizing the smallest opening.

10. Inspect the colony 4-7 days after installation. It is not necessary to see the queen in the hive. You should see brood in all stages of development. Eggs, larvae, and capped brood.

Caring for your newly installed bees:

Continue to provide the colony with ProSweet Liquid Feed or 1:1 sugar syrup to encourage the bees to build comb.
Increase the size of the entrance reducer after 4-7 days.
When the bees have drawn comb to the two outer frames, move each of the outer frames in 2 positions and add the second deep box with frames.

Nuc Installation: (From Nuc to 10 frame medium or Illinois Langstroth hive)

Install the nuc in the evening or early morning when the weather is cool. Light your smoker before beginning.
Place the nuc immediately next to the 2 - 10 frame medium supers into which you will be installing. The 2 medium supers should be placed on a full or screened bottom board with entrance reducer set to the smallest opening.
To prepare the 2 medium supers to receive the nuc, remove 6 frames from one side of both medium supers and place them alongside the box. Always remove at least one more frame than the size of your nuc.
Open the lid of the nuc. You may need to use your hive too! to break the propolis seal between the lid and the body of the nuc box.
Lightly smoke the bees across the top of the frames. This will help to calm the bees.
Remove the feeder from the nuc if there is one. If you wish to install this feeder in your hive, remove an outside frame and place it in your hive.
The next steps should be taken with slow, purposeful movements, taking extreme care to reduce the risk of harming the queen. Starting with one of the outer frames of the nuc, gently lift it up and out. You may need to use a hive tool to gently break the propolis seal between frames. Keep the frame over the box as much as possible and carefully move it over to the top of the hive body. Insert the frame next to one side of the medium boxes.
Transfer the remaining frames one at a time, making sure to place them in the box in the exact order in which they arrived. The bees have created a brood nest in the nuc and this order should be maintained. Move the 4 remaining frames in the 2 medium boxes so that they a next to the 5 deep frames. Finish placing frames to fill the box.
If using pollen patty place it on the top bars. Feed the bees ProSweet Liquid Feed or a 1:1sugar mix.
Place the inner and telescoping covers on top of the hive. Ensure that the entrance reducer is in place utilizing the smallest opening.
Inspect the colony 4-7 days after installation. It is not necessary to see the queen in the hive. You should see brood in all stages. Eggs, larvae, and capped brood.
Inspect the deep frame next to the side wall of the boxes. If it has very little to no brood in it remove it and slide all the frames toward the slot that you just removed. Place an empty brood box on the lid and carefully remove the top medium box of the colony and set it on top of the empty box on the telecover. Fill any empty frame positions in the bottom box with the medium frames removed when installing nuc. Now carefully move the top box that you previously removed back to the colony and fill any empty frame positions with the previously removed frames and reinstall the inner cover and telecover.
Repeat step 12 every 4-7 days until all the deep frames have been replaced with medium frames.

Caring for your newly installed bees:

Continue to provide the colony with ProSweet Liquid Feed or 1:1 sugar syrup to encourage the bees to build comb.
Increase the size of the entrance reducer after 4-7 days.

When the bees have drawn comb to the outer frames, move each of the outer frames in 2 positions and add the third medium box with frame.