[ifixoldhouses]

My dad brought me a nuc box, he dropped off the box in the morning and came back that night and got it. I think it's just a couple frames of brood, and some empty comb the guy threw in there, and shook some bees in it. $165
They have VSH in the line he said, they were trying to push out larvea through the screen of the cardboard nuc box. Theres no food stores whatsoever in it, I gave em 1:1 syrup. I could put a pollen patty on? nectar flow is in full swing though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmmEDo56-Hg

 

[Tim KS]

That did look like a newly made nuc, but it should survive IF the queen is in there. I think I would've dumped the bees left in the box into the new nuc box.....and I would've left the frames in the same order as found. .....both survivable errors in my mind. :lookout:

(a new queen may have had her wings clipped and be on foot & unable to fly) :s

 

[dkofoed]

Thought i saw the queen on the 4th frame, but hard to tell, could be a drone. Any eggs?

 

[ifixoldhouses]

Thought i saw the queen on the 4th frame, but hard to tell, could be a drone. Any eggs?

I thought so too, I couldn't see any, I think he just threw it together last night, all the bees went inside. The whole box weighed 20 lbs, the last nucs I bought were like 100lbs each.

 

[Schultz]

I thought so too, I couldn't see any, I think he just threw it together last night, all the bees went inside. The whole box weighed 20 lbs, the last nucs I bought were like 100lbs each.

It is impossible for a 5 frame nuc to weigh 100 lbs. I've only bought 2 nucs, but they were stronger than what you showed, and I would guess weighed not more than 10lbs each.

 

[ifixoldhouses]

It is impossible for a 5 frame nuc to weigh 100 lbs. I've only bought 2 nucs, but they were stronger than what you showed, and I would guess weighed not more than 10lbs each.

it had a full deep frame of honey that was super heavy in it, I don't know maybe 50 lbs, the whole thing was pretty heavy compared to this one.

 

[Schultz]

Let's think about it. For 5 frames to weigh 50lbs, they would have to weigh 10lbs each. I'm quite sure I have never seen a 10lb frame of honey, but, 5 of them would never fit in a cardboard nuc box.

 

[ifixoldhouses]

I asked the guy who helps make em up, he thinks 30-35 lbs average.

 

[Schultz]

That's fantastic!

 

[ifixoldhouses]

That's fantastic!

ya for $150 too
check out the video of them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5c2gRZkNnU&t=313s

 

[Gray Goose]

Unless it is very warm, I would place the frames back in the order and orientation they were in. 1 and 2 were flipped 3 was end for ended and 4 and 5 were flipped. Wall to wall bees and warm 70's even at night not an issue. Here in Mich it was 35 last night. Also I would shake and knock off the bees from the lid and box in case the queen was in there, shake them in prior to putting the second box on. If you get 90% you can look for the queen in the remainder. looks like they are in, good luck with their growth for the summer. When the NUC is small and it is cool they typically do not put brood against the wall. Once they get going they run out of cells so its a timing thing. BTW why do you screen the hole in the inner cover?

GG

 

[ifixoldhouses]

I'll remember that on the next one, it's hot here though 88 degrees , I've had the swimming pool set up for 2-3 weeks . It might dip to 50 at night. I don't like them all under the lid when you take it off, I run screened inner covers on all the other ones. I don't think that nuc was made up more than 12 hours with all the empty comb.

 

[ifixoldhouses]

This nuc is still the same as when I got it, empty comb in it, no frames being drawn, no eggs, the queen is in there, looks like they are superseceding her, I added a frame of honey a week ago or two. I guess it's just an old queen he gave me, won't even lay drone eggs.

 

[Saltybee]

I saw nothing that would make me expect to see a laying queen in the original. A frugal queen will not lay without stores. Not saying the queen is not a dud, but adding a frame of honey a week ago says they have not built up a ring of open nectar or pollen on their own.

Have you been feeding the snot out of them?

 

[ifixoldhouses]

I took out the sugar syrup when I added the honey frame.

 

[Saltybee]

Was there open liquid and some pollen in most of the frames ? Some capping of syrup.

 

[ifixoldhouses]

there was one frame with some open nectar, but still totally empty comb frames.

 

[beemandan]

Surely a nuc supplier that you won’t be revisiting. Nothing I saw that was even remotely worth $50…much less $165.

I guess that I’m the last beekeeper on the planet who moves the nuc into the customer’s equipment here. When all is said and done they will have seen the bees, brood, honey, pollen and queen before they pay.

 

[ifixoldhouses]

I haven't even bothered to call the guy or anything, he's over an hour away, doubt he'd help me anyhow, probably blocked my number. It's the sorriest Nuc I've ever seen, except on YouTube, I saw a guy open up one that had 2-3 empty plastic foundation frames in it lol. The one he sold my dad is doing ok though.

 

[Jadeguppy]

Give the seller a chance to fix the issue. After that, if not satisfied, let other locals know what happened. One of the main nuc guys in our area won't let you pick them up until all five frames are full and the bees are overflowing. He is BYOB and loads them for you so you can inspect everything.