Nuclei in beekeeping

Bees appear to have made it through winter and early spring in good condition. Early pollen has been taken into the hives in quantity, which resonates well with beekeepers. We are always watching for pollen, since it indicates that the queen is present and laying, without having to disturb the bees. Strong colonies will progress at a good pace, filling the brood chambers with brood. Those with such colonies close to, or in oilseed rape flowers, will take in a lot of nectar from it. The resulting honey will be a high glucose honey with a fine crystal.

We are always watching for pollen, since it indicates that the queen is present and laying, without having to disturb the bees

Colonies that are behind in development need to be sampled for disease. Send samples to the Bee Diagnostic Service in Backweston, Celbridge. Chalk brood and Nosema are two diseases seen at this time of year, which leave colonies weak. Sometimes, it may be unproductive to invest much time and effort into getting such weak colonies to make progress. It may be necessary to grab the bull by the horns and remove them – clean up and sterilise the equipment in readiness for colony splits or other more-productive operations.

Preparing for overwintering

During the summer, many beekeepers prepare nuclei for overwintering. These may be used for queen rearing, testing out new queens, having spare bees to replace winter losses or monitoring for disease and temperament.

A nucleus hive is, in general, approximately half the capacity of a standard beehive, requiring less inputs of bees and equipment. Traditional wooden nucleus are being replaced by the high-density polystyrene types, which hold heat better and colonies build up quickly in them during spring.

There are a few different models of polystyrene nucleus hive. They come with built-in feed trays, open mesh floors, ekes and even supers (honey storage box). Their entrances are fitted with a disc, which has an in-built ventilation grill, queen-excluder grill or a solid section.

A nucleus hive is, in general, approximately half the capacity of a standard beehive, requiring less inputs of bees and equipment

Rotating the disc to the appropriate position makes it easy to close in bees for transport, applying the winter mouse guard or summer queen rearing. They are lightweight and easy to carry when full. They do need to have a strap around them at all times since the lids have shallow sides and are easily wind-blown, given the type of material they are made from.

The wooden nucleus hive is mainly fitted with a solid floor, and may have a high roof, or an eke, which allows room for a feeder. Being wooden, they are therefore breathable, and less likely to suffer sweating. It is good practice for beekeepers to keep a number of nuclei relative to the number of hives they have.

Hopefully 2022 will be a good year for protecting our dark native honeybees

Overwintered bees in nuclei should have been transferred into full hives by now, giving them space to expand. As the temperatures increase and stabilise, beekeepers will be opening hives, checking space for brood rearing, marking and clipping queens.

We will be looking forward to the dandelion blooms, and round the corner will be the trees, such as sycamore and horse chestnut, to get this year’s beekeeping off to a flying start. Hopefully 2022 will be a good year for protecting our dark native honeybees.

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