Nucs are small but complete, natural colonies of honeybees.
What is in a nuc
Unlike a package of bees, a nuc has a queen, drones, worker bees, and drawn out comb on frames with brood, pollen and honey in the frames. A package only has a queen, drones, and worker bees, along with feed.
A nuc has a queen that is mother to at least some of the bees in the colony. But I’m a package, the queen is unrelated to the other bees and is kept in a cage to keep her safe during transport and to increase acceptance rate.
Generally a nuc is either five frames, or four, with an internal feeder, called a frame feeder. If you have a choice, opt for the five frame nuc with fully drawn out comb.
A good nuc will have a frame of capped brood, a frame of eggs and larvae, a frame of honey, and two other frames with varying resources in them.
Advantages of nucs
Nucs are also easier to install and less fussy than a package. Most generally, you can wait a day or two to install the nuc into a full size hive. You can gently lift each frame into the new box and give the nuc box a sharp tap over the new box to remove the lingering bees. While nucs should still have food available to them, they are far less likely to starve from a lack of feeding. For most information about how to feed bees, click here.
Disadvantage of a nuc
The only downside to a nuc is that they typically aren’t shipped, so you will need to drive to pick them up, and also may not have quite as much variety in the breed of bees you get.
What I do
If I am buying bees, a prefer nucs because they have at least a six week head start on any package bees, since they have resources and also are not going to experience the same die off or crash as a package would, since a nuc has bees at all ages and stages of life.
If you are trying to decide how to acquire bees, a nuc is the best way for 98% of new beekeepers to go about it.
Other relevant beginner guides
How to Inspect a Beehive: Step-by-Step for Beginners
How to Transfer Your Nuc (With Pictures)
Commonly Asked Beekeeping Questions
Why Are My Bees Aggressive Today
If you’re looking for more beginner support, I run a Facebook group just for new beekeepers.
You can ask questions anytime and get help from a friendly, supportive community.
👉 https://facebook.com/groups/932328275814857/
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