[AristaeusME]

Hello! Starting beekeeping up in Maine, really excited! I purchased my nuc and will have to end up driving it about 2 and a half hours- is that going to be very stressful for the bees? What can I do to make the trip better? What steps (like waiting) should I take when coming back to my hive site? Thank you all!

 

[gcolbert]

Are you going to haul the bees inside of your vehicle or outside (like in the back of a truck)?

If inside, you may want to make sure you have your veil or bee jacket in the event that some of them escape from the box. I sent a friend home with a hive a couple of weeks ago that I would have sworn was bee tight. I was wrong. He had to drive down the road with bees flying inside his jeep.

 

[JWPalmer]

How is the nuc going to be packaged? For a long trip, you need to make sure they have good ventilation. Either a screened bottom board or a screened inner cover with the telescoping top left off. If inside the vehicle, a bit of mosquito netting thrown over the nuc would not be a bad idea either. Having your beesuite handy is not optional, although I did travel for 45 min with a package inside my SUV, no suite, and several of the girls kept me company up front.

 

[rwlaw]

Welcome! Good advice on the other posts.
Get em home ASAP, set them on the bottom board where the hive will be and let em fly for a bit (unless weather dictates otherwise), that way they’ll be a little bit calmed down for the transfer.