Nuc
Encyclopedia
Nucs, or Nucleus Colonies, are small honey bee colonies created from larger colonies. The term refers both to the smaller size box and the colony of honeybees within it.
The name is derived from the fact that a nuc hive is centered around a queen
- the nucleus of the honey bee colony.
except with a reduced width. A link shows a United States Department of Agriculture USDA
lay out for building a nuc.http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yourself/5-frame-nucleus-beehives/ A typical nuc has 5 Langstroth frames arranged side-by-side.
, designed to hold fewer frames.
The nuc box is smaller because it is intended to contain a smaller number of honeybees, and a smaller space makes it easier for the bees to control the temperature and humidity of the colony, which is vital for brood rearing. When using a Langstroth hive, a nuc is created by pulling two to five frames
from an existing colony. These frames and the nurse bees clinging to them form the basis for the nuc colony.
A nuc may or may not be given a queen at the time it is created.
If the nuc does not contain a queen or queen-cell, but does contain eggs, the workers will create a new queen from one of the eggs.
If the nuc is to be given a new queen, the queen will be introduced to the colony in her queen cage either at the time the nuc is split from the main colony, or after a period of queenlessness that increases the likelihood that the new queen will be accepted.
Nucs are often used to prevent swarming in a larger colony, by removing frames with queen-cells from a larger colony and using them to provide the basis for a new colony. The removal of queen cells and reduction in population in the donor colony diminish the urge to swarm. This procedure may also be called a walk-away split.
Nucs are almost always fed using a boardman feeder or frame feeder.
Feeding allows the worker bees to remain in the nuc, acting as nurse bees for developing brood.
Because of their small population, Nucs are vulnerable to robbing, in which a stronger hive steals all the nectar, honey, or syrup from a weaker hive.
The bees from a robbing hive will kill any bees that defend the nuc.
Robbing can lead to starvation in days.
A nuc can also be used to care for spare queens.
The loss of a queen in a large colony can set the colony back by up to a month.
A nucleus colony can be combined with the larger colony to re-queen it with a much smaller break in brood rearing.
A nuc can also grow into a full-sized colony, given proper time, favorable weather, and appropriate resources.
The terms 'nuc' and 'split' are not strictly interchangeable.
While a nuc may have a number of different uses, a split more often refers to dividing a colony for the purposes of growing the removed bees back to a full-sized colony.
A nuc is not normally intended for overwintering, as nuc colonies do not possess a large enough winter cluster
to survive winter in harsher climates.
Beekeeper
s often combine nucs together in the fall to produce a single, strong colony.
This results in the loss of all but one queen, but provides a colony capable of surviving winter.
In warm climates, nucs can overwinter.
Nucs can also survive winter indoors, or in an observation hive.
These tiny nucs are sometimes called mini-mating nucs.
Mating nucs are used in a queen mating yard
.
A capped queen cell
is put into a mating nuc together with a sufficient number of attendant worker bee
s.
When the virgin queen
emerges and matures (a process that takes around five to seven days from the point at which she emerges), she flies out and mates with up to 20 drones
before returning to the mating nuc.
When mating is successful a nice brood pattern can be seen on the frames of the mating nuc.
Successfully mated queens are caged and shipped to be used as production queens by beekeepers.
Queen breeders raise thousands of queens in this fashion.
The name is derived from the fact that a nuc hive is centered around a queen
Queen bee
The term queen bee is typically used to refer to an adult, mated female that lives in a honey bee colony or hive; she is usually the mother of most, if not all, the bees in the hive. The queens are developed from larvae selected by worker bees and specially fed in order to become sexually mature...
- the nucleus of the honey bee colony.
Layout
A nuc hive has all the features of a standard 10 frame Langstroth hiveLangstroth hive
The Langstroth bee hive, patented in October 1852, is the standard beehive used in many parts of the world for beekeeping. The advantage of this hive is that the bees build honeycomb into frames, which can be moved with ease. The frames are designed to prevent bees from attaching honeycombs where...
except with a reduced width. A link shows a United States Department of Agriculture USDA
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
lay out for building a nuc.http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yourself/5-frame-nucleus-beehives/ A typical nuc has 5 Langstroth frames arranged side-by-side.
Nuc Creation
The nuc box, also called a nuc, is a smaller version of a normal beehiveBeehive (beekeeping)
A beehive is an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species of the subgenus Apis live and raise their young. Natural beehives are naturally occurring structures occupied by honeybee colonies, while domesticated honeybees live in man-made beehives, often in an apiary. These man-made...
, designed to hold fewer frames.
The nuc box is smaller because it is intended to contain a smaller number of honeybees, and a smaller space makes it easier for the bees to control the temperature and humidity of the colony, which is vital for brood rearing. When using a Langstroth hive, a nuc is created by pulling two to five frames
Frame (beehive)
A frame in a beehive is the structural element that holds the honeycomb or brood comb within the hive body . The frame is a key part of the modern "movable" hive since it can be removed in order to inspect the bees for disease or to extract the excess honey.-History:One of first beehive frames was...
from an existing colony. These frames and the nurse bees clinging to them form the basis for the nuc colony.
A nuc may or may not be given a queen at the time it is created.
If the nuc does not contain a queen or queen-cell, but does contain eggs, the workers will create a new queen from one of the eggs.
If the nuc is to be given a new queen, the queen will be introduced to the colony in her queen cage either at the time the nuc is split from the main colony, or after a period of queenlessness that increases the likelihood that the new queen will be accepted.
Nucs are often used to prevent swarming in a larger colony, by removing frames with queen-cells from a larger colony and using them to provide the basis for a new colony. The removal of queen cells and reduction in population in the donor colony diminish the urge to swarm. This procedure may also be called a walk-away split.
Care and feeding
A nuc is extremely vulnerable, as it possesses in some cases less than a tenth of the workers in a normal colony.Nucs are almost always fed using a boardman feeder or frame feeder.
Feeding allows the worker bees to remain in the nuc, acting as nurse bees for developing brood.
Because of their small population, Nucs are vulnerable to robbing, in which a stronger hive steals all the nectar, honey, or syrup from a weaker hive.
The bees from a robbing hive will kill any bees that defend the nuc.
Robbing can lead to starvation in days.
Uses
A nucleus colony can be used to prevent overcrowding in a larger, healthy colony by splitting some of the population off to a new colony.A nuc can also be used to care for spare queens.
The loss of a queen in a large colony can set the colony back by up to a month.
A nucleus colony can be combined with the larger colony to re-queen it with a much smaller break in brood rearing.
A nuc can also grow into a full-sized colony, given proper time, favorable weather, and appropriate resources.
The terms 'nuc' and 'split' are not strictly interchangeable.
While a nuc may have a number of different uses, a split more often refers to dividing a colony for the purposes of growing the removed bees back to a full-sized colony.
A nuc is not normally intended for overwintering, as nuc colonies do not possess a large enough winter cluster
Winter cluster
In beekeeping, a winter cluster is a well-defined cluster of honey bees that forms inside a beehive when the air temperature dips below 54 to 57 °F . Honey bees are but a few insects that survive the winter as a hive. As the outside air temperature decreases the winter cluster becomes tighter and...
to survive winter in harsher climates.
Beekeeper
Beekeeper
A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees for the purposes of securing commodities such as honey, beeswax, pollen, royal jelly; pollinating fruits and vegetables; raising queens and bees for sale to other farmers; and/or for purposes satisfying natural scientific curiosity...
s often combine nucs together in the fall to produce a single, strong colony.
This results in the loss of all but one queen, but provides a colony capable of surviving winter.
In warm climates, nucs can overwinter.
Nucs can also survive winter indoors, or in an observation hive.
Mating nucs
Mating nucs are a special type of nuc that may be even smaller than nucs that use standard size frames.These tiny nucs are sometimes called mini-mating nucs.
Mating nucs are used in a queen mating yard
Mating yard
A Mating Yard is a term for an apiary which consists primarily of queen mating nucs and hives which raise drones.A Queen bee must mate in order to lay fertilized eggs, which develop into workers.-Mating nucs:...
.
A capped queen cell
Queen bee
The term queen bee is typically used to refer to an adult, mated female that lives in a honey bee colony or hive; she is usually the mother of most, if not all, the bees in the hive. The queens are developed from larvae selected by worker bees and specially fed in order to become sexually mature...
is put into a mating nuc together with a sufficient number of attendant worker bee
Worker bee
A Worker bee is any female eusocial bee that lacks the full reproductive capacity of the colony's queen bee; under most circumstances, this is correlated to an increase in certain non-reproductive activities relative to a queen, as well...
s.
When the virgin queen
Virgin queen
*In beekeeping, a virgin queen is a queen bee that has not yet mated with a drone.*Elizabeth I of England was also called the Virgin Queen....
emerges and matures (a process that takes around five to seven days from the point at which she emerges), she flies out and mates with up to 20 drones
Drone (bee)
Drones are male honey bees. They develop from eggs that have not been fertilized, and they cannot sting, since the worker bee's stinger is a modified ovipositor .-Etymology:...
before returning to the mating nuc.
When mating is successful a nice brood pattern can be seen on the frames of the mating nuc.
Successfully mated queens are caged and shipped to be used as production queens by beekeepers.
Queen breeders raise thousands of queens in this fashion.