Building a medium Nuc for the Owl House Ferrell Bees

Today I was thinking about the preperation for the bees.  I originally was going to put them into a Nuc Deep.  After last night looking at the size of the Owl house and the bearding bees, I don't think a Nuc Deep is going to work.  I think the Owl House is about 8 frames deep/brood.  They need more room I am thinking.   


             Many options are possible.  I don't want to put them in a Super 10 frame brood box.  I rather keep them confined to a 5 frame Nuc.  Since they are probably 8 frames I am guessing, I needed a Medium for the Nuc.  I made a medium Nuc.  Lucky me I already had frames for the Nuc Medium and the Nuc deep.  Double Deep is what I will go with for the Owl House Bees

I have had 20 feet of Pine wood for making mediums.  I almost made a medium and put it on the original bee hive #2 that is the Ferrell Bees, but I already have a Deep available and that is what I put on.  If I built a Medium previously and put that on the bee hive instead I would put the Ferrell Bee hive in a 10 frame Deep and call it a day.  Unfortunately it's in use and I am not moving it off even though I could.  Any way you slice it I would have to build a Medium Nuc or a Medium 10 frame Langstroth.  No need to cause Bee Hive to have to convert to mediums now that they've started drawing comb on the Supers though. 

So out came the measuring tape and changed the saw blade.

This is a box joint that I learned is fast and 10 times easier then that of finger jointing.  I did finger jointing on my first bee hive Deep I built.  I never again will do that.  Of coarse I say never, but we will see just how true that is.  I found the box joints from Nuc building instructions on the dummy series on line.  Once I saw that I was like.......  Forget finger-jointing.  That is just too time consuming and ridiculous.  Why do you need joints that a car can drive over with it's bees is beyond me.  I am not selling them, so I refuse to do them again.  
      I make my own foundation-less frames

as many people do.  I will always try and build my own stuff saving me money because I have spent over $1000 in for this bee hobby.  Way too much money and had I known this, I would have never gotten started in it.  I didn't know that it was going to cost that much.  Of coarse I spent a lot more on nicer things in preparations for the future and longevity.  I just didn't put my bee hive on the ground and put a brick on it. 
          

This isn't glued and screwed yet.

Super with foundationless and the new medium

Double Deep Nuc

I have 3 foundation frames ready if I need them for the bees.  These I coated with more wax then they came with so it helps them out. 

Hopefully I can use these

I still have to build a stand for the original owl box to sit on 1 of the 4x4 posts.  I will let them get oriented for a week before I tear the owl house apart and transfer the comb to the frames and insert it into the Nuc Box.  I have to do that on Sunday. 

Plan is on Sunday to get the bees regardless if they're bearding or not.  I will sweep them off and put a Nuc box in place with a few frames for them.  Monday night I will get the Nuc Box and bring it home then put it on top of the owl house, so they can get back to the bee hive.   It took me by surprise that they were bearding and I didn't think to bring a Nuc Box.    My thinking was they'd be inside and I would just screw a cover over the entrance sealing them inside, put the box in a plastic bag for transport and bring them home.  Bearding caught me by surprise.  It's still in the upper 90's and that's why they're bearding.  It's a sealed jointed box and the only air flow is the orange size hole in the front of the box.  Hot with all the bees inside.   
        
The bees are in full shade currently.  I am putting them in full sun, but will put over-sized cardboard on top to shade them most likely.  I will be removing my sun sail shade covers once the temps are below 95 degrees.   Bees will have to manage the heat for a few weeks. They're in partial sun/shade throughout the day.  I just don't want them in full sun as that would melt the honey and we don't want the queen to get a death by honey drowning. 

Will take photo's during the removal.

Zak
Liberty Hill Texas USA