This is a nuc

It’s always nice to find a friend willing to share their real estate to accommodate a nuc of bees. Separating the new nuc (5 frames/level) with the old hive (10 frames/level) by distance, ensures that the bees won’t fly back to their original hive. The best time of year to make a split is in the spring (May is best). So if you are interested in housing one for a few weeks or months, let me know! You’ll be rewarded with honey and free education 🙂

The new home, a nuc, is composed of the following items:

The platform can be any type of structure that keeps the nuc off the ground. I simply adjusted a pallet. A “super” is what we call the box (the bottom board, walls and top board). We use “dadent” frames which are lighter than the “deeps.” Supers and dadent frames can be bought at Buckerfield’s or Borden Mercantile and then assembled at home.

As for the interior design, we’ll simply take the frame with the queen, one with honey, one with eggs/brood, one with pollen and an empty frame. Just before we add bees to the mix, we’ll add some water for refreshments by dipping an empty frame in water.

Once we’ve taped up any cracks, we add one big scoop of worker bees to the nuc and close up. The Inner cover has a mesh that provides some ventilation during the 20 minute hot car ride. And we’re off!