Mating Nuc Entrance Standard

The design of this part is due to John Groocock. I have used it to maintain standardisation between my mating nucs and those of L&RBKA.

They are used in pairs spaced 22 mm apart.

Various screens or restrictors may be slid into the slots so formed.


The right hand diagram shows how the lips are placed in relation to the entrance in the L&RBKA Nuc.

The entrance slot ends have a radius of 8 mm.

The nuc box wall is 9 mm exterior grade plywood and in the L&RBKA version is treated with microporous brown stain. My own nucs are treated with linseed oil and the entrance holes are 16 mm diameter.

Shown left is the basic size and shape of the slide in restrictors. They may be made from sheet aluminium, fibreglass printed circuit material or white plastic cut from old honey bucket lids.

The various types are:-

4 mm queen excluder slot (below left),

5 mm drone excluder slot (below right),

Two sorts of ventilated closure are shown on the middle row.

And a restricted entrance with a single 8 mm diameter hole is shown at extreme bottom left.






Sheet aluminium is the easiest to make these two items from.










Aluminium or plastic sheet is easily drilled or mesh may be glued in place onto a fibreglass blank using epoxy resin.






Those items made from aluminium sheet are held in place by slightly bending the part so that it binds on the slot formed between the entrance lips and the box wall.



There are various types of Disc Entrances available, either proprietry or home made and so the adaptor block illustrated below was designed to cater for their use with these types of mating box.




The block should be made from tight grained hardwood or hardwood plywood

Use an M2.5 CSK bolt and nut with washers to fit a 50 mm diameter disc entrance.

The whole assembly sides into the entrance lips from the left.

much more to come .