A nuc is a mating nuc if you are using it for mating queens. Some use the mini mating nucs because it takes less bees to fill it. They are about the size of a nuc that is cut in half so that you have half sized frames, usually four half sized frames fill the nuc. Add a cup of nurse bees and a queen cell.
The idea of a nuc is usually to make increase and it's size is for that purpose. The idea of a mating nuc is to minimize the resources needed to get a queen mated. A mini mating nuc is an attempt to go to the very minimum. I prefer two frames of my typical brood box (which is a medium).
For me, mating nuc is any nuc I make queenless, or put together without a queen, then give them either a ripe cultured queen cell or a virgin, then, if all goes well, that queen becomes properly mated and begins to lay eggs, she can be harvested for in-house use or trade.
I have two of the small mini, four tiny frame size mating nucs (they were a gift). I was surprised to discover that they do work to get virgin queens mated. Earlier I had built about a dozen even smaller mini mating nucs, but every time a virgin went on her mating flight, the colony would abscond (leaving with the queen, none ever to return). I have several mating nuc condo's, made from four medium super sides (no ends). Those are partitioned into four compartments that each hold three medium frames. I also have a few mating nuc condo's that are made from a typical 10-frame medium super, they are partitioned into three compartments that hold two frames each. My favorite size mating nucs are the three frame medium condo's. They make it easiest to move/promote them to full size nucs (5-frame), since I'm also producing 5-frame medium nucs. The 2-frame medium condo mating nucs are my second favorite, since they do a nice job with the queens, use standard equipment, but minimal resources per queen.
>so a mating goal is just to raise the queen cell and take care of the queen till see is mated?
Yes.
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