# General beekeeping > Starting out >  Full nuc box - advice needed

## janeoh

Hi All,

I have a 5 frame polynuc with bees on every frame and it's getting a bit cramped.

Will they still be building up numbers at this time of year?

I am not sure if I they will fare better over the winter in the nuc box or if I should transfer them to a hive?

----------


## The Drone Ranger

> Hi All,
> 
> I have a 5 frame polynuc with bees on every frame and it's getting a bit cramped.
> 
> Will they still be building up numbers at this time of year?
> 
> I am not sure if I they will fare better over the winter in the nuc box or if I should transfer them to a hive?


Hi janeoh
Is that brood on all 5 frames or just bees ?

Elsewhere on here C4U says that each full frame of brood equates to approx 3 frames of bees

You can sleeve down a hive with some wide spacers and put them on 8 frames to start with and see how they build up from there

They are still building up numbers most places at the moment

----------


## janeoh

It was crowded with bees, will be moving them on Saturday to a new location. Easier in the polynuc and will transfer to a hive. Never thought to reduce the space in the hive as I was worried about them having to heat that amount of space over the winter.

I have not looked to see how many frames are brood but my mind is made up now as the hive can be reduced to a few frames and expanded to 11 giving me more flexibility.

Cheers Drone Ranger :Big Grin:

----------


## alclosier

> Hi All,
> 
> I have a 5 frame polynuc with bees on every frame and it's getting a bit cramped.
> 
> Will they still be building up numbers at this time of year?
> 
> I am not sure if I they will fare better over the winter in the nuc box or if I should transfer them to a hive?


I picked up a swarm about 3 weeks ago as my nuc was full I used a full sized bb closed off to 5 frames. I bought a sheet of kingspan sealed the edges with gaffer tape and slowly expanded them at each inspection. It has worked well despite the wet weather. If you are adding fresh foundation you should consider feeding them if you are not doing so already to give them a helping hand.

----------


## alclosier

Your other option is if using a Payne's polynuc, get a brood chamber to put on top.

----------


## Jon

poly-nuc-extension2small.jpg

I use those. £18 each.



Edit.Something funny with the attachments Gav. Photo is not showing.

----------


## alclosier

The only issue I've found do far with them is picking them up to put back on the hive after an inspection. No lips or handles!

----------


## Calluna4u

> It was crowded with bees, will be moving them on Saturday to a new location. Easier in the polynuc and will transfer to a hive. Never thought to reduce the space in the hive as I was worried about them having to heat that amount of space over the winter.
> 
> I have not looked to see how many frames are brood but my mind is made up now as the hive can be reduced to a few frames and expanded to 11 giving me more flexibility.
> 
> Cheers Drone Ranger


Just had my attention drawn to this by a friend. Might be too late.

I would say NOT to move the nuc which is so full intact. Poly boxes are desperately prone to overheating when very crowded, and hot bees flock to the mesh floor quickly obstructing the air flow and the colony can overheat and die in as little as 20 minutes. (The voice of painful experience.) Different if you have the travel screen to fit (Paynes do make one you can buy as an extra).

Still early enough to promote into a full hive, and feed a small amount regularly over the next four or five weeks. No dummies needed as it is already on 6 bars with plenty brood to hatch (I assume, unless you have let it get solidly plugged with honey) and with the trickle feed will expand to the full box with ease before winter. We did some just over a week ago as we needed to free up some of the nucs, and already with a single gallon of syrup they are covering 8 to 9 frames with 5 to 6 bars of sealed brood, plus a bar or more of eggs and larvae outside that, present. So no worries about dummying down. (Never use dummies anyway here.)

Hope the move went well.

----------


## gwizzie

> Just had my attention drawn to this by a friend. Might be too late.
> 
> I would say NOT to move the nuc which is so full intact. Poly boxes are desperately prone to overheating when very crowded, and hot bees flock to the mesh floor quickly obstructing the air flow and the colony can overheat and die in as little as 20 minutes. (The voice of painful experience.) Different if you have the travel screen to fit (Paynes do make one you can buy as an extra).
> 
> Still early enough to promote into a full hive, and feed a small amount regularly over the next four or five weeks. No dummies needed as it is already on 6 bars with plenty brood to hatch (I assume, unless you have let it get solidly plugged with honey) and with the trickle feed will expand to the full box with ease before winter. We did some just over a week ago as we needed to free up some of the nucs, and already with a single gallon of syrup they are covering 8 to 9 frames with 5 to 6 bars of sealed brood, plus a bar or more of eggs and larvae outside that, present. So no worries about dummying down. (Never use dummies anyway here.)
> 
> Hope the move went well.


Hi C4u, I have a paynes poly nuc and the same thing 2014 queen brood over say 2 frames and a good quantity of bees, my question is should I move to a paynes poly that I have modded to hold 8 frames or go for the big move to full size hive ?

----------


## Adam

2 frames of brood isn't that big; however I've moved bees from 5 to 6 to 8 to full-size as their needs dictate. They should grow better in increments than going from a 5 frame nuc to a full-sized hive.  There's time for colonies to grow and draw comb and fill it with stores for the winter. Small colonies - with assistance - will grow to what they think is their 'optimal' size. Bigger colonies tend to shrink.

----------


## gwizzie

> 2 frames of brood isn't that big; however I've moved bees from 5 to 6 to 8 to full-size as their needs dictate. They should grow better in increments than going from a 5 frame nuc to a full-sized hive.  There's time for colonies to grow and draw comb and fill it with stores for the winter. Small colonies - with assistance - will grow to what they think is their 'optimal' size. Bigger colonies tend to shrink.


Hi Adam thanks for your reply, I think I will move these bees to my modded paynes 8 frame nuc as when I checked again today its nearer 3 frames and I added a new one yesterday that the queen should start laying in very soon as they have started drawing it out already  :Big Grin:

----------

