Nucleus (“Nuc”) vs. Package Bees What is best for you?

If you are starting out in Beekeeping, there is a lot to consider.

Learning the Lingo:

A Colony of bees refers to the bees themselves. A hive is where they live. There are a large variety of hive types and sizes, just as there are a large variety of bees.

A NUC, or Nucleus colony is a small colony of bees that have the basic essentials, bees, brood, food, and a mated laying queen. A NUC is one standard method of buying bees with the intention of growing them into a full sized colony. They are generally 4 or 5 frames in size.

Package Bees refer to a screened box containing 2 to 3 lbs. of bees and usually includes a queen. If you do not live near a beekeeper, and require bees shipped to you, this is how you will need to buy them.

A Swarm is a cluster of bees, containing a queen that has naturally split away from and existing colony oftentimes due to overcrowding to establish a new colony. This is a great way to acquire free bees that are natural to your area.

I would like to compare the benefits and strengths of both NUCS and Package, as well as the cons of each. Whichever way you purchase your bees, each one has pros and cons. Weigh out which one suits your needs.

NUCS 

Benefits and Positive aspects:

  • A NUC is an actual small functioning colony with a laying queen, it contain some brood in various stages,( nurse bees, foragers, defenders) and they will grow quickly. •Installing a NUC is a pretty simple and easy process that does not greatly impact the bees
  • Nucleus bees contain offspring hatching from the laying queen included which increases the continued acceptance of the queen
  • The typical NUC should consist of at least 4-5 frames of comb, including 2 to 3 frames of varied stages of eggs, larvae and brood. One frame of open space for the queen to lay in, and one frame of honey & pollen to feed the colony as it transitions to its new home. The structure of a NUC puts your hive about 6 weeks ahead of a package of bees in its growth schedule.
  • NUCS are most often available in the spring and most of the season as long as queens are being produced and can be mated.

A NUC, can grow fast enough to allow you to have a harvest of honey the first season, weather permitting.

Cons

 NUCS cost more, but they do include the frames and comb already drawn out.

  • NUCS must be picked up, they cannot be shipped
  • You do run into some issues sometimes with the quality of the frames and age of frames that come in your NUC
  • With the addition of any bees to your apiary, regardless of how you buy them, there is a risk of disease, parasites, and other issues. NUCS do have an added risk because of the frames and comb, which can have their own issues.

.  

Package Bees

Benefits and Positive aspects:

  • Purchasing packages is a very common method. Package bees cost less
  • They can be shipped long distances and still survive; in fact, this generally is the only way you can ship bees via mail/postal services
  • Package bees come with a young queen, usually laying for at least a week or two to determine they are a quality layer
  • . Generally you can buy them more readily throughout the Spring season.

 

Cons

  • There are factors out of your control whenever you ship live animals. Delays, mishandling, and weather can all have adverse effects on the bees. The stress on the bees will further be aggravated by the lack of a colony structure during their shipping.
  • Packaged bees are just that, they are gathered from many hives and funneled into the packages. The queen that is put in with the package is not familiar to the bees, and the bees are not familiar with each other. This can affect the success of the queen’s acceptance and she may be superseded and replaced which will delay colony growth.

 

Making and Educated choice.

How you purchase your bees will ultimately be dependent on your own personal situation. You will have to consider your financial situation, your location, your set up including what equipment you have or need among other things.

As a beginning beekeeper, it would be wise to check out your local bee clubs, watch some reputable beekeepers presentations on YouTube, visit your library and read as much as you can. It would also be helpful to visit any beekeepers in your area to check out how they have their apiary set up and ask questions.

Personally, our preference is to buy NUCS. That is how we started and it worked for us. We had our hives bought and ready for transferring them into. We now build our own wooden ware, as the cost of purchasing is rather high. When we started, we bought 2 NUCS. Both did well right away. We decided to get 2 because it gave us more resources to start with and honestly it let us get in a play with them more often. If you have 1 hive, you can get into them weekly; if you have 2 you can do it twice a week lol. Actually how often you go in and watch your bees is up to you. We are fascinated by them and love to watch them.

Bees are a wonderful hobby to get into. It is not cheap, but it is worth every penny. So when you are ready, weigh out the pros and cons of NUCS and Packages, and draw the conclusion that best fits your needs and ability. Learn all you can, and enjoy the magnificent creatures that can teach us so much.

Lyon Bee Farm 

Leave a Reply