** i heard the 5 frame nuc's are to big for mating nuc's
** , so i was looking at getting the 2 frame nuc's
5 frame is very good if you sart a new hive: one pollen, one food, one hatching brood. From 3 brood frame you get whole box bees.
I have mating hives, where i have devided Langstroth in four parts. The entrance is in the bottom palte frame. These four give warm to each other.
If you have too small mating hive and egg space is not any more, that little hive will swarm. Also it is easy to take larva cakes from mating hive and give new foundation etc.
At autums you just take middle walls away and you have good hive for winter. So I have 30 years.
I was told i could get the 5 frame nuc's and get super's for them and i could carry extra queens through the winter in case i need a queen in the early spring. (now i plan on doing this one)
It is better if you raise one box hive and bring it over winter. Those too little hives cause so much trouble that there is no reason to try such one.
If you have 5 frame nuc and you give to it 2 frames brood from big hive, so you have normal situation without continuos harm.
Those little hives do not start at spring and you get just a harm. You will have weak hives arter winter even if you do not want them.
Last spring I had a hive where was a coffee cup size. At autum it was normal, but during all winter bees walked out and died. I ahd a hive with drone queen and I changed it.