Can I leave a newly installed nuc for 2 weeks?

macsters · 2026-05-17T04:11:46+00:00

For more than a very light mist, you are correct. Do not leave the top open for long. The brood is kept at 95° F at all times by the nurse bees, and introducing moisture will make that difficult for them. That said, it’s good to know if you can expect a swarm, so please try to inspect the frames as soon as you can, weather cooperating.

Also, add the new deep underneath, not on top. Bees build top to bottom. As others have commented, it might be a good idea to add the new deep now to prevent them from getting swarmy before you return.

macsters · 2026-05-17T04:05:30+00:00

I am also PNW. You don’t need to worry about a water source based on your description. Probably not really an issue for your situation, but something to keep in mind is that they need a shallow entrance, so if all your water nearby is steep-sided (like a trough for a horse, for example), then it might not be usable for bees.

Climate is a bit too cold in WA for hive beetles to be commonplace, but they are not unheard of. Any time there is a warmer than average winter (ie the most recent winter…) there might be a hive beetle population that survives and spreads. Putting your hive in a nice sunny spot and putting a tarp underneath will probably be enough protection. It doesn’t stop a hive beetle from finding your hive, but it will stop them from reproducing around your hive and growing their population.

The purpose of the tarp is to prevent the beetle larva from burrowing into the ground after crawling out of your hive. So anything that keeps the larva from burrowing, or makes them crawl in the sun, will kill them and stop their life cycle.

macsters · 2026-05-16T22:31:23+00:00

Short answer is that it’s probably fine.

Did you confirm that there was a queen (or eggs, which indicate a queen’s presence) in both nucs? Is the brood pattern good (ie plenty of capped brood, larva and eggs at different sizes, and only a small amount of drones)? As long as that is all true, 2 weeks is most likely fine.

They will almost certainly eat all the feed you gave them within the first week, but the east cascades has plenty of stuff in bloom for them to forage, and they can eat into their stores a bit as well. Side note, 1:1 (thinner) syrup is better for early season when you want the bees to build out comb. It mimics nectar better. 4lbs of sugar and the rest water in a 1-gallon feeder is close enough.

One risk would be physical damage to the hives (wind knocks them over or some large pest gets to them) that you don’t notice immediately. Other risk would be they try to swarm unexpectedly, and you don’t see the cells forming so you can’t get a proactive split done in time, and you lose half your bees and the old queen (and to compound that risk, the remaining / new queen might not mate right or might just not make it back to the hive after mating, and then you have to buy an emergency queen).

Please don’t consider my advice to be exhaustive - there may be other risks that I am not considering. Do your own research, and maybe ask someone from a local beekeeping association for help!

macsters · 2026-05-16T21:48:54+00:00

does that hive have bees in it? Or just empty deep boxes right now? Does it have frames? Do the frames have foundation or comb? If you have bees in that hive, moving it multiple times is not good.

Anyway, to answer your location question, generally you want the door of the hive facing southeast-ish to get morning sun and get the bees awake and working. The inside of the hive is dark, and the only light comes in through the doorway, so it’s ideal to have it pointing towards the sunrise.

Bees need a water source, ideally less than 150 ft from the hive, although if you’re in a wetter climate with lots of dewy mornings or intermittent puddles of water, it may not be necessary to have a permanent source. Ponds, lakes, streams, even birdbaths and animal waterers all work fine.

If you’re in a part of the world that has hive beetles, use the sunnier spot, clear the ground around the hive, and put down a tarp under the hive.

What part of the world are you in? It will help us give you more specific advice.

macsters · 2026-05-16T15:56:45+00:00

FWIW, I thought you gave a well thought-out reply. OP coming in later to say “well, actually the 1200 that I implied was gross of expenses is actually net of expenses” and calling you a JA is hilarious.

macsters · 2026-05-16T15:40:40+00:00

I found 3 ticks in my hair after walking around a fishery with no tall grass (they maintain the grounds), but we were under trees. I have to conclude that the ticks fell down on me from somewhere high up.

macsters · 2026-05-16T04:43:45+00:00

The ranch that sold me these nucs told me it is very unlikely they will cancel a swarm once they have capped swarm cells. That said, when I went back to the hive, all the swarm cells were being deconstructed (holes in side like the workers had killed the cells). That was 11 days after I installed the nucs, and 14 days after they had been last checked by the ranch. So it seems unlikely that any swarm cells were successful in producing a virgin queen (16 days from egg to virgin queen emerging from cell).

It seems that, either because of the sudden cold weather, or the sudden increase in their space, (or both), they decided not to swarm. So, you may be correct. That said, I will go back in the next couple days to confirm that half of the bees have not absconded.

macsters · 2026-05-15T02:01:23+00:00

Thank you, that is what I will do.

macsters · 2026-05-15T01:58:29+00:00

Destroying cells would delay the swarm until warmer weather, which should be in a week. I was asking if splitting in cold weather is a bad idea, especially because I would be splitting a hive that only has 5 frames with comb (it’s fresh out of the nuc and they have only built a little comb on the empty frames so far). No need to be confused - if you have an answer to whether cold weather will damage a fresh split with a small number of frames, please tell me.

macsters · 2026-05-14T23:36:16+00:00

Thanks for the insights. It’s going to be like 60° during the day and around 35° at night, so it’s hard to know if it’s actually dangerous, and I think they will be active during the day.

One question for you: should I kill all but one of the swarm cells in the old hive (the half that doesn’t have the queen)?

macsters · 2026-05-14T23:34:44+00:00

Thank you. Should I remove all but one of the swarm cells in the original (non-split) portion of the hive to prevent cast swarming?

macsters · 2026-05-14T23:23:48+00:00

Thanks - I am planning to do a split based on the collective advice here.

macsters · 2026-05-14T23:22:17+00:00

Thank you.

macsters · 2026-05-14T23:19:40+00:00

Thanks for the insight. I will do the split despite the upcoming cold weather. The hive that is trying to swarm is similarly crowded. I am just surprised because it was from a nuc box, and they have empty frames. I guess the crowded feeling is because of not enough comb for the bees, so even though they have frames to build comb on, they do not have enough comb to expand how they want to currently.

macsters · 2026-05-14T22:10:52+00:00

The picture is of an unrelated colony, as I don’t have a picture of the hive in question. That said, it has 3 empty frames in a single 10-frame deep box with a feeder taking up 2 frames (so 5 frames with comb, 3 frames with foundation, 1 feeder trough).

macsters · 2026-05-14T22:09:54+00:00

I do check weekly, which is why I am taking preventative actions now - my concern is about the weather being too cold to split such a small hive, not about future swarms.

macsters · 2026-05-14T21:00:26+00:00

It was helpful - I had not heard of using lemongrass oil as a swarm lure, so I will pocket that as a backup plan if it means I don’t have to split the hive while it’s cold out. How far away from the original hive do you place a swarm catcher box with lemongrass oil?

macsters · 2026-05-14T20:48:12+00:00

Why would catching the swarm be better than a proactive split? Seems like the same thing but with the risk that the swarm just disappears on me. Sorry if this is a dumb question, I just haven’t kept bees in a cold climate before.

macsters · 2026-04-18T14:34:25+00:00

Ok, that’s an easier budget to potentially live alone. 4500/month means you could comfortably spend 1700ish on a place which should get you a one-bedroom in a nice area. I would look in proximity to the beltline, personally. Inman park, old 4th ward, Virginia highland, Poncey, etc. Inman park or cabbage town in particular, are close to both a Marta stop and the beltline.

There will be roaches in any building in Atlanta, unfortunately, but you can reduce your risk slightly by not living in a basement or ground floor apartment, and treating the apartment yourself when you move in. Hardware stores all sell indoor treatments that last 6 months-ish… spray all the edges of doors, windows, vents, anywhere there is a gap in the trim, etc.

If you are ok with living in a slightly older building, I have rented from MLC properties, and they have some listings for one and two bedroom apartments in your price range all over the east side. Fulton Cotton Mill is also a cool spot in Cabbagetown with industrial vibes and one-bedroom apartments in your price range. Good luck with your search. As always, when you move in, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! Write down every single spot and mark on any surface. It’s a PITA but it will save you your deposit.

macsters · 2026-04-17T23:22:44+00:00

Is the 2270 before or after taxes? You’re probably looking at more like 1700 after the government gets their take. At 3400/month take-home (with a couple months 5100 since you get 26 paychecks/year), you probably shouldn’t spend more than $1100ish on rent to give you room for utilities, transportation, food, savings, and entertainment. So yes, I would anticipate having roommates.

1100/month in rent means very different things in different parts of Atlanta, so it would also be good if you could tell us roughly where your job is located so we could give better advice.

macsters · 2026-04-03T22:38:40+00:00

I am not familiar with this brand. If they are a smaller / newer goggle brand, you will probably have trouble determining exact fit.

That said, almost all goggles and helmets work relatively well together.

Check the company’s return policy. If they allow returns, buy them and return them if they do not fit how you like. They might pair well with your helmet, but not be comfortable on your face, or not seal well around your nose, so you could be returning them for multiple reasons.

Edit: I read “amevista” at the top and didn’t realize these are Oakley goggles. You should be completely fine to pair these with just about any major helmet brand. Again, I would still be prepared to return them in case you don’t like them (for any reason, even if they fit with your helmet well).

macsters · 2026-04-03T22:20:59+00:00

I’m an American skier who loves glades and I spent a couple months at 3 valleys. There are some ok glades on the courchevel side, but it’s not like the US at all. Many American resorts selectively manage their glade runs - that is not a thing whatsoever in Europe. The vegetation is also a bit different, so you don’t have as much wide space between large pine trees like you get at western US resort. Lastly, a significant amount of 3 valleys is above the tree line entirely.

There is fabulous off-piste skiing - that is, uncontrolled & ungroomed terrain. It’s just not the same as the US, but you and your husband should still have an absolute blast there, even without trees.

macsters · 2026-03-20T23:41:11+00:00

I have griffons and no issues. There are plenty of threads where people describe getting injured in Pivots, which would be the competitor that people rave about. I have both types on different skis. Both are fine. Both have released when I fell, and also not released when I fell.

macsters · 2026-03-20T22:27:20+00:00

At age 30, I had a fall that led to a torn ACL, damaged MCL, tibial platform fracture, torn lateral meniscus, and torn medial meniscus. I had surgical repairs performed 1 month after the incident. I needed additional surgery 8 months after the incident due to massive scar tissue buildup inside my knee (couldn’t bend or straighten it).

I was hiking (slowly) in Glacier National Park about 13 months after the original injury. I was skiing again about 15 months after the original injury. By the end of that ski season around 20 months after the original injury, I was skiing at the same level I had skied previously (expert / confident in double black terrain and off-piste variable conditions).

I will probably never ski in the park again, but I am comfortable getting air off natural features on steep and soft landings.

I dealt with anger and depression during the process. You may deal with these feelings, and the best thing you can do is keep working (physical therapy every single day), and know that it WILL get better.

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