So spring came I had this nuc box full of great, tough bees-- but how was I going to get them into the new hive? There are only two frames in the nuc so would I have to cut the comb out and strap it to frames in the new hive? I really was dreading what I was sure was going to be a very difficult ordeal.
But these great bees helped me out. I forget the exact date but they swarmed really early—the earliest the local bee expert had EVER seen a swarm! So my problem was solved—all I had to do was capture the swarm and put that in my new hive. What a relief!
The bees really helped me out even more by forming quite a large ball just a few feet from the nuc box, on a shrub branch maybe 3’ off the ground. Couldn’t ask for an easier situation! So with no trouble at all I had my new hive ready to go.
But these bees continued to amaze. They proceeded to swarm again. And again. And again—5 times in all! One of them we captured and let the local bee expert have (it actually was his nuc box that I had been using). The last one I decided to capture and keep myself—giving me 2 new hives! I went from not being too sure I wanted bees to having two new hives.
Fortunately I had constructed a hive platform large enough for two hives:
I constructed it out of treated wood, but as you can see from these photos I took this afternoon, I have a rubber sheet over the stand so the bees never contact the actual platform:
The bees are doing great, especially the first swarm captured. Their hive has this door on the side that can be opened to reveal a plexiglass inner wall—I can look at the outside frame, and show visitors, without having to open-up the hive. They’ve already made their way to this outer frame and looks like they are storing honey.
I don’t think I’ll harvest any honey this year. After surviving last winter in that nuc box they are entitled to keep their full supply this winter!
