Expanding the Apiary: 12 Nucs Built from 3 Hives with VSH Queens 🐝

Today, we expanded our apiary by creating twelve 2-frame nucs from three full-sized hives. Using Wildflower Meadows’ Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH) queens, we split each hive and carefully introduced the queens to encourage strong, healthy colonies. 🐝

This step is a great way to grow your apiary while maintaining hive balance and controlling swarming. Watch as we walk through the process, including selecting brood frames, setting up the nucs, and introducing the new queens.

If you’re interested in VSH queens or learning more about the tools and resources we used, check out the links below. Happy Beekeeping!

VSH queens used in this video:
Wildflower Meadows: https://wildflowermeadows.com/

2 frame nuc dimensions:

Bottom board is 5"x 21"
Sides 10 1/4 x 19 3/4"
Front 3 1/2" x 8 3/4"
Back 3 1/2" x 9 1/2
Lids. 5" x 24"
(Courtesy of Barnyard Bees at barnyardbees.com)
Buy them direct if you would like at: https://barnyardbees.com/product/2-frame-nuc/

Canvas for inner covers: http://www.bigduckcanvas.com/. #8/60” Cotton Canvas Duck (18oz) - Natural . SKU N8-60, qty 10 (I believe I bought it by the yard - 10 yards). They had a minimum amount years ago. Excellent quality.

LinkTree: linktr.ee/beekeepingfornewbees
Podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/ab7c88ae-8e97-40af-9108-fb38cf105aed
Discord: https://discord.gg/XzkqFKrjMJ
Donations: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/beekeepingfornewbees My Gear:

Canon R50: https://amzn.to/465kiid
Shure SM7B Microphone: https://amzn.to/3Y1bfgo
Rode Mic Stand: https://amzn.to/4f2weoV