[pokerman11]

From my supplier I picked up NUCS this year. I’ve bought packages before, but this is my first time for NUCS.

Before I ordered the NUC, I asked a lot of questions – equipment size, frame exchange etc.

This week I picked up my NUCS and brought them home. These are 4 frame nucs. What I got with each NUC was an average of 1 frame of brood, 1 frame of stores and 2 frames of drawn comb. What was a surprise to me is that the NUC did not have a laying queen, but a packaged queen still in the shipping cage. This was not a question I thought about asking.

I don’t feel this was worth the difference in cost from a 3lb package.

Is this common to get NUCs without a laying queen? Personaly it was the reason I bought NUCs

 

[brac]

I have a buddy you bought 4 nuc's last year, alll came with a frame of eggs. So I guess you did better than that, however a package queen is not what I want in my nuc's. I would ask that you list the supplier so others know what to expect if they order from there.

 

[BeeCurious]

I believe that few people would consider that a nuc.

I hope it was packed full of bees...

Do you think it might equal a two pound package?

 

[peacekeeperapiaries]

All of the nucs I have purchased have always had a laying and accepted queen, thats why you buy a nuc!!!!! The idea is to bring a nuc home and very quickly if not imediately put it in full sized box. IMO they are light on the brood also, should have been at least 2 frames of brood.

 

[fish_stix]

Anyone ever consider that the queen might be in a cage so she doesn't get squashed in the transportation phase? :doh:

 

[BeeCurious]

Anyone ever consider that the queen might be in a cage so she doesn't get squashed in the transportation phase? :doh:

Yes.

I received three 5-frame nucs like that but they were also full of brood and bees.

What is the value of two frames of drawn comb, one frame of brood, and one of honey? Subtract that from what was paid, and decide if the quantity of bees and the queen would be worth it.

 

[honeyman46408]

I have a friend that sells 200 nucs a year and what you get is a mated queen in a shipping cage with 3 frames of brood (eggs to emerging brood) and a frame of honey.

The nuc is ahead of a package because you have brood that is emerging a package emerging brood for about 30 days.

 

[Peter]

You get a laying queen with this nuc, albeit a 2009 queen, and 6 frames but no box, but still seems way out of line.
Probably a little more than you paid though, believe the present exchange rate is $1.52 to the British pound.
At these prices I can understand why British beekeeping is suffering.

http://www.bid4bees.co.uk/auction.asp?id=1144#

 

[Beeslave]

I have a friend that sells 200 nucs a year and what you get is a mated queen in a shipping cage with 3 frames of brood (eggs to emerging brood) and a frame of honey.

So what your friend is selling is a split with an unaccepted queen. If the customer expects this then it isn't an issue.

When selling nucs they are expected to have the brood(all stages) and a accepted laying queen that has layed in the nuc long enough so it is known she is not a drone layer. At least that is how I learned to do it.

Long story short-If the customer knows what they are getting(how many frames, how many brood, honey, empty frames, etc) then that is all that matters.

 

[clarkfarm]

I wonder also if the queen was placed in the cage to protect her. A phone call to the supplier would answer that. I buy local nucs and the supplier puts the queen in a cage the day I am coming to pick up the nuc. Then he releases her when I get there. That way he does not have to search for her while I am waiting and maybe damage her and, very important, I get to see that the queen is, in fact, present and looks healthy. She has already been accepted by the bees because she was in that nuc colony before he temporarily placed her in the cage. Hope that is your situation. Susan

 

[pokerman11]

I got my answer and as I thought, it is a new packaged queen that is unrealated to the rest of the bees in the NUC.

I've asked the supplier WALDO OHIO APIARIES to be upfront about that for future customers.

George is a good guy, and Ive bought packages from him in the past. I will say I have been very very happy with the package bees, but a bit dissapointed in these Nucs.

 

[Rob73]

I purchased a few nucs for the first time this year also. I had one nuc with a queen and one without. All had frames of brood, eggs and honey. And a few cups of bees to boot! Plus the 6 free frames, gotta count that too, I guess.

Honestly I didnt know what to expect. I expected a nuc box jam packed with bees gettin' at it. Kinda the exact opposite. Like I said one had a queen and the other didnt. It been to cold windy and rainy to open them up, but I did take a peek in through the screened bottom. So far there is a lot of work going on inside and lots of traffic at the entrance, even though the days are crappy.

I am not knocking my purchase, I just expected a full box and it was nothing like that at all. I guess that is what I get for assuming......

Rob

 

[Pete0]

Had read this thread last week and had to revisit it. Our club's nuc program is underway and I have to tell you this IS NOT the way we do it here in Colonial Beekeepers Association. The club is providing 5 frame nucs to new beeks that include 2-3 frames of eggs, open larva and capped brood and two frames of stores with some open comb (pollen, nectar, capped honey). The queen is laying and what you see is what she's done. We're able to do this because we don't provide nucs until they are ready and this year that hasn't been until this last week. It's tough to get new beeks to wait but after reading this thread I'm going to show them why it can be to their benefit to wait! If you want local you're going to have to take the nucs when they've had time to build and prove themselves.

My two cents.....


Pete0
Bena, VA

 

[pokerman11]

I'm with you Pete and understand, actualy was a bit shocked when I opened up the NUC boxes and found a packaged queen.

I knew I was getting frames from a Georgia supplier that was trucked into OHIO, but thought these were laying NUCS as that's possible this time of year in Georgia.

In all three of my NUCS, they went into emergency response mode and made a few queen cells. I waited three days then relesed the package queen this weekend. Not sure if they will take her but all and all it woudl have just been better to buy packages.

I did get an email from my supplier and they did say that next time they will clearly state what is being sold. IN the end that's what matters - truth in advertisement.

To me I wanted to get some NUCS, give them an additional 5 full frames of drawn come/stores (from my winter deadout) and give them a jump start into the 2010 with the idea of getting being able to super this year. Now I'm stuck waiting for queen acceptance, and have bees that are confused with swarm cells.

Next year going to stick with just packages, or do my own splits

 

[Kingfisher Apiaries]

Anyone ever consider that the queen might be in a cage so she doesn't get squashed in the transportation phase? :doh:

I have gotten 6 nucs in the past few years without the queen caged. Not lost one yet. I also haul bees to different yards and I have not lost a queen yet. (knock on wood:lpf
All of the above hives traveled at least 60 miles one way.....

Kingfisher