Bee Brothers Apiary
Silver Bay, New York
What is the difference between a nuc (nucleus)
and a package of bees?
Normally we buy a 3 pound packages of bees, which come with about 12,000 bees and a queen. The bees come in a screened wooden box which has a can of sugar water for food. The queen is in her own cage inside the box. The worker bees are able to feed her through screening of the queen cage.
Nucs come with frames, on which, the bees have built the wax comb. The bees are able to come and go to forage for honey and pollen, and the queen is able to lay eggs. Nucs are available with 2-5 frames.
Packages typically have more bees than a nuc, but a nuc has frames already draw with wax and a laying queen. As a result, once nucs are installed into a new hive the colony tends to strengthen faster; however, nucs are not available for purchase as early as the packages.
and a package of bees?
Normally we buy a 3 pound packages of bees, which come with about 12,000 bees and a queen. The bees come in a screened wooden box which has a can of sugar water for food. The queen is in her own cage inside the box. The worker bees are able to feed her through screening of the queen cage.
Nucs come with frames, on which, the bees have built the wax comb. The bees are able to come and go to forage for honey and pollen, and the queen is able to lay eggs. Nucs are available with 2-5 frames.
Packages typically have more bees than a nuc, but a nuc has frames already draw with wax and a laying queen. As a result, once nucs are installed into a new hive the colony tends to strengthen faster; however, nucs are not available for purchase as early as the packages.
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