Yes that's how I make all my mating nucs. Just place a couple of frames of capped brood and bees into the nuc, with one frame of honey and pollen, and place the queen cell between the frames. I have some 3 frame boxes that I use specifically for mating nucs and I only put one frame of brood in them. I use 2 when I make a 5 frame box.

Put robber screens on them if they're with your other hives, or when you later start feeding them to draw comb, they'll get robbed to death.

I no longer use swarm cells to do that with. I do that with grafted cells. I figure keeping swarm cells selects for swarmy bees.


If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14