Over the years I've bought Nuc's and packages and I'm convinced a Nuc is the way to go. (just my personal opinion of course) Most of the packages I've bought have suffered a lot during shipping and are weakened coming out of the gate and have a lot to overcome just to get ready for winter.
However, I purchased a package of Carni's from CF Kohnen (sp?) and they are one of the best hives I've ever had. They built up the first year into a booming 2 deep colony and brought in plenty of stores for themselves and a little for me too. They are doing great this spring too and I'm planning a split of that hive soon.
I think one of the best bee deals is to contact the local bee keeping club. There is almost always someone in the group that sells Nucs and you get bees accustomed to your area and ready to work.
Nucs are great because of fast buildup, and the good possibility of surplus honey the first year. The con(s): Possible harboring of diseases/mites, and can be a bit more expensive than a package.
Packages are great too. No brood, so little to no mites, and the likelyhood of disease is almost nothing. Lower prices than nucs most times. Con(s): Slower build up, and having to introduce the queen to these "strange" bees.
All I can say is, in my two years, the hives started from nucs and splits have prospered, and the ones started from packages have dwindled. That's just my experience.
One thing package buyers need is a drawn frame of comb to get the colony off to a good start. Putting a package into a hive with empty frames is a real stress producer. The package also needs syrup to feed them immediately.
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