Nuc Purchase to feed or not to feed?

[PeteS]

Hi Folks,
I have puchased a 5 frame nuc that I will be receiving in the first part of June in the Buffalo, NY area. Just wondering if I should feed them when they are transferred into the hive. I will miss the fruit blossoms and dandalion blossoms. What are your guys thoughts?
Pete

[alpha6]

Feed, feed, feed. Oh and don't forget to feed.

[D Coates]

I totally disagree with alpha6. You need to feed the the 5th power. Seriously, feed them as much as they'll take especially if they are added hive bodies with undrawn frames. When a heavy flow starts they'll start ignoring your feed. That's when I stop.

[Honey-4-All]

That all depends. You have two choices:

If you want to be a beekeeper follow the advice of alpha and when your done with his advice please check them and then feed as necessary. Especially true with new equipment.

If you want a quick trip to the bee funeral home with a stop along the way to the grocery store (to buy some honey as gifts for the departed's relatives) just leave them on their own. If it rains much after you get them you will be going down this path rapidly if you refuse to feed them.

[scdw43]

If the nucs have good queens you can not feed them to much.

[SoarWestBees]

Is a NUC different from a swarm then? I captured a swarm and some said you never feed a swarm, but the locals here told me to feed as much as they will take just like I am reading here for a NUC.

[sqkcrk]

Sure, lots of difference. A swarm is full of its own food. They tank up on honey B4 leaving home. But if you are putting a swarm on foundation, I'd feed it too.

[fish_stix]

Feeding is an evil process thought to be encouraged originally by Monsanto and Dow Chemical for the purpose of increasing the use of sugar, resulting in larger sales of chemicals to the sugar cane and sugar beet growers. If your bees can't scrounge enough to eat on their own then you should let them die out. That way you will eventually develop a breed of bees that are totally resistant to nourishment and who will live contentedly in their hive with no beekeeper input. I would also recommend you get some Jet Airways charts from your closest FAA facility and try to place your hives under the nearest high altitude airway in order to receive max fallout from "chemtrails." This will develop resistance to other chemicals spread about by the military-industrial complex. Better bees through chemistry.

[Solomon Parker]

I started three nucs and two swarms last year and didn't feed them. They went into winter well enough, but they didn't thrive. They didn't starve or anything, but I imagine they would have done better had they been fed. I'd say feed.

[scdw43]

If you put a 5 frame nuc on drawn comb during a flow you should not have to feed, but as stated above foundation makes a lot of difference.

[Michael Bush]

I like bees to work for a living. I'd feed them if there are no capped stores until there are. Capped stores are a sign that the bees think they have enough surplus to store it. Uncapped stores are what they are living off of. In other words if they have some "savings in the bank" (capped stores) for that literal rainy day, they should be fine. If they don't have stores a week of rainy weather could seriously set them back.

[mac]

Hi Folks,
I have puchased a 5 frame nuc that I will be receiving in the first part of June in the Buffalo, NY area. Just wondering if I should feed them when they are transferred into the hive. I will miss the fruit blossoms and dandalion blossoms. What are your guys thoughts?
Pete

If the nuke has caped honey ya don’t have to feed. If there is no flow on feeding 1/1 will stimulate them to build comb and the queen to lay.

[Kingfisher Apiaries]

If you have no drawn combs to put in the 8 or 10 frame box and you plan on putting foundation in there it is imperative that you feed. I always feed nucs whatever stage they are at.

mike