Purpose of a nuc?

[Buzzby Babe]

Hi all, this is my first posting to the forum. Will be hoping to keep bees next year and want to find out as much as possible this year.

My question is - I am not sure why people use nucs. I thought they were used to transport bees to new owners. I went to an out apiary and also read stuff on here and it seem people regularly keep bees in them. Are they temporary homes?

Any info to a complete novice would be great.

 

[susbees]

A nucleus hive (not to be confused with mini mating nucs which are used for mating queens more and more as they need few bees) has several uses:

As a portable means of starting off a colony and especially of letting new beekeepers get used to something small first. Often overwintered and sold in the Spring.

As a handy way of letting a beekeeper increase his stock by taking bees/stores/brood/Q from one or several hives. Easier to carry and keep warm by the starter bees. Likewise taking the extra strength off a hive in the early throes of swarming.

Starting off a new queen after she leaves the mating nuc. Some also bank their spare queens in them although mini nucs are ok for this too. Very useful if you find yourself without a queen.

For comb production: small colonies are keener on such things and will (apparently) repair comb better in nucleuses too.

I expect there are others but the main thing is they are portable, keep small populations warm and very useful for when you run out of kit!

 

[susbees]

And welcome to the forum

 

[the naked beekeeper]

Try this: http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=10136

 

[MuswellMetro]

To me a Nuc is a Get Out of Jail Card, i try to maintain at least one per colony, you never know when you will need it

1) introducing the new Queen when re queening indifferent or aggressive queens
2) As a holding AS Queen-right box when you have run out of brood boxes
3) splits of AS parent with QCs into two or three to make increase
4) transferring brood or eggs for queen-less test to other hives/apiarys
5)swarm collection ( I use 6 frame 14x12 Nuc about the same volume as a standard brood box)
6) a 6 frame 14x12 brood box for a small swarm if brood box not available
7) holding old queens while new queens are accepted
8)transport spare fresh foundation when visiting out apiaries
9) keeping half an aggressive hive in a dark sealed box to make inspection of the rest easier
10) dividing a hive into two to find an elusive queen7
11) 6 frame 14x12 as a bait hive
12)taking cans of lager beer to the apairy without her indoors knowing


i have known beekeepers who use Nucs as there only spare equipment and do not carry extra equipment to do a standard AS

 

[Buzzby Babe]

Thanks for those pointers, it all seems very complicated.

Like point 12 - may have to remember that one!