5-frame nuc layout

[Cindi]

So, on May 5, I will be getting my 4 nucs.  These are the "typical" 5 frame nuc.  Three frames of brood, 5 frames of bees.  In the past I have only hived packages, so nucs are new world of experience for me.  My questions:

I will take my own boxes to the "dealer".  What supplies do I put into these boxes for the bees?

Do I have food stuffs in the boxes when I take them to the breeder?

I have Langstroth deeps.  I have honey/pollen frames in the freezer, more than to amply supply these boxes (and all the swarms that I plan on catching that come from my neighbour). LOL.  I know that none of my hives will swarm (LOL).   I have only one neighbour that keeps bees in my immediate vicinity.  Wow, that is a lot of laughing out loud, I must feel pretty confident about non-swarming in my apiary (LOL).  Ooops, there goes another one!!!!!

Is there a need to provide sugar syrup for the nuc colonies?

Have a great and wonderful day.  Cindi

[lively Bee's]

You shouldn't have to take any extra equipment.  The seller should provide the frames. 

We work 5 frame nucs as follow

2 full frames of brood
2 frames of honey/pollen
1 empty frame for the queen to lay

After setting the queen cage we close up for 3 days the reopen and remove the cage we let the nuc set in the bee yard for another 7 days and recheck to insure the queen is laying then we send it out to the owner or a different bee yard.

I have teamed up with another beekeeper and we started building nucs from our feral hives for drone flooding to help with some open mateing to help genetic diversity and to cut down on imbreeding. 

I hope this helps

[Cindi]

Lively bees.  Thanks for your information.  That is very neat what you are doing...but...I think it is done differently and I'll tell you why.

When I went to the breeder's home to give the down payment on the nucs.  This is what he wrote on the receipt and told me that if I wanted he could use his own boxes and then I could exchange for mine later when they come home.

I will be getting, hold on, I am looking at the receipt.

$125 each
3 frames of brood
5 frames of bees
1 laying queen

He called them Kona Italian when I asked the breed.

It sounds like he offers 3 frames of brood, not two.  I never entertained the thought that the breeder may provide anything more than the brood, bees and queen.  So, definitely, now I must contact him and find out what he actually does provide.

We are going away to my daughter's house for the Easter weekend, but when I return I will call him and have the information firmed up. 

I would imagine that most breeders operate very similarly to how you set up your nucs, so I do anticipate something along your lines. 

Sounds like an awful lot of work to me to set up these nucs.  Good for you.  Have a wonderful day.  Cindi

[tillie]

I expect that they all operate differently, Cindi. 

When I got my nucs, I got four frames - the breeder "lent" me the nuc box, an inboard feeder, the screened door, and two bungee cords for each nuc.  After installing the bees, I was to return within a week the boxes, the inboard feeder, etc.  If I didn't return those there would be extra charges. So it was a 5-frame nuc but one of the frame spaces was taken up by an inboard feeder.

It's cheaper in Georgia - I paid $65 for each nuc, but then I ended up with chaotic bees who made a mess in my hive!!!!  :-D :-D :-D (You also get more frames of brood and bees than I did - your list looks like 8 frames)

The list of what I was to return included an empty frame of foundation - so I did that and then got a call from the beekeeper that he didn't expect me to do that and to come get my frames.  It was on his printed list, and I'm an oldest child who always does it right, so I had to follow the list. :-P

I guess I could have left the foundation with him, but he sounded like he really wanted me to come and get them, so instead I drove to the breeder's place a total of three times to get and return the nucs!  :evil:

Linda T

[Cindi]

Linda, cool.  I think that I may have to revamp this list I was talking about, I don't think it is 8 frames.

I think this is how it goes.

3 frames of brood
5 frames of bees, (3 frames of bees which cover the 3 frames of brood with 2 extra frames of bees)

That equates to 5 frames of bees.
The way I said it must have sounded like 5 frames of bees besides the 3 frames of brood.

Unless the breeder has the nucs in Langstroths then there would be no room for honey or empty frames.  I am gonna have to make the phone call soon to give me peace of mind on what is going on.  I am the kind of person that needs to know everything and if there are unanswered questions, I do not function well.  Have a wonderful day.  Cindi

[tig]

when i supply a four frame nuc it consist os a laying queen, one food frame {honey and pollen mix} and 3 frames of assorted brood.  it comes in a box made of plywood...we call those transport boxes and we don't expect them to return those.