New Jersey Nucleus Colonies (NUCs)

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Getting Ready for your New NUC:

Having everything prepared and ready for use before bringing your bees home is crucial. NUCs are not “baby” colonies; they are essentially smaller versions of mature colonies, with fewer bees within compact, temporary housing. Leaving the bees in the NUC box while you scramble to organize or paint your equipment can increase the risk of swarming. Aim to install the NUC on the same day it arrives or, if it's rainy or windy, the following day.

Feeding Considerations:
Planning how to feed your bees after installation is essential, especially early in the season when they need extra energy to quickly draw out new comb. Poor weather can limit natural foraging, making feeding even more important. A 1:1 sugar-to-water solution is commonly used for new colonies, though commercial options like Pro-Sweet are also effective. The amount of food your bees consume depends on the colony’s size, so choose a feeding method that suits their needs. Be sure to decide on your feeder type and prepare it in advance, as it will impact the installation process and required equipment.

Setting up your Hive:
Ensure your hive equipment is ready to go before picking up your NUC. Preparing in advance ensures a smooth NUC installation when you arrive at your apiary with your new colony. You will need a bottom board, a brood box (typically a deep), frames, a feeder and a hive cover. Please note, the 5 frames of your NUC will be installed together into one brood box. 

Choosing the Best Location:
Carefully choose the location for your hive, as relocating it after placement can be disruptive. Set up the hive at the chosen site before picking up your NUC.

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Protective Gear and Tools:
Have your protective gear and tools ready to use. While you may not need them on the day you pick up your NUC, they’ll be essential when transferring the frames into the hive. 

Pick Up:

• Arrive at your scheduled appointment time. 
• Appointment times are only scheduled before 9am or after 7pm. The night before your pick up appointment, the transport box will be closed once all of the foragers have returned. If picking up after 7pm, your hive will be closed upon your arrival. We strictly adhere to our alloted pick up times, because honeybees are very susceptible to overheating. 
• The pickup location will be confirmed when scheduling your pickup appointment. 
• The remaining balance will be due at pickup.  
• Your NUC will be housed in a specialized transport container, similar to a plastic Pro Nuc box. The NUC entrance will be closed for transport. 
• Congrats!  You're now a bee-owner and in no time you'll be a beekeeper!  

Transportation:

• You can transport your NUC inside your car, trunk or the back of a pickup truck. 
• The ideal location is inside the car, with your A/C on high to keep the bees cool and calm. 
• If traveling with the NUC inside your car, please note the NUC is sealed, but it is possible that a few bees may get loose.
• Driving with a NUC inside your car may be uncomfortable for some, so we recommend purchasing a NUC bag or simply a large mesh laundry bag. The NUC will be placed inside the bag and help contain any loose bees. 
• It's important that you drive straight to your apiary, without making any unnecessary stops. Remember, the bees are at risk of overheating, and possibly dying, if left contained in the transport hive for too long. Driving straight to your apiary will minimize stress on your bees. 

Arriving at your Apiary:
Wearing your protective gear and with your smoker ready to go, position the NUC box on top of or beside the prepared hive. The key is to position the NUC and the hive close to each other so the bees can begin orienting to the same location. 

Lightly smoke the front of the NUC, then open the entrance to allow the bees to adjust to their new surroundings. To open the NUC entrance, firmly push the corrugated plastic entrance flap outward. 

Bees may fly out of the NUC immediately. Transferring the NUC frames into your hive as soon as possible is recommended for a smoother transition, but if it's raining or very windy, you can wait several hours or even until the next morning. If you cannot transfer the frames immediately, you must ensure the NUC entrance is in the open position. 

Installing your NUC:
Preparing the Hive for the NUC Transfer:

• Put on your protective gear, have your hive tool ready and light your smoker. 
• Lift the NUC off the hive and set it aside.
•  Remove the hive cover and place it on the ground. Take out several frames from the middle of the hive to create space for the NUC frames. 
• Gently puff the smoker by the NUC entrance and under the lid. 
• Briefly wait, then slowly open the lid. 

Transferring the NUC Frames:

• Using your hive tool, loosen the outermost frame. You can start at either side of the NUC.
• Lift the frame straight out and place it directly into the cleared space you made in the hive. 
• During this time, you can briefly inspect each frame. See if you can spot the queen. While inspecting frames, it's critical to hold the frames over the hive, not over the ground. If any bees fall, they'll safely fall into the new hive. 
• One by one, continue removing and transferring the remaining frames from the NUC maintaining the order and orientation of each frame as they were positioned in the NUC.
• Once all NUC frames have been successfully placed in the hive, ensure you add enough frames to fill the box (8 or 10 frames depending on your specific equipment). 
• The NUC frames should be placed in the center, with the additional frames placed on either side. 
• If you are using a frame feeder, place the feeder on the outside wall of the brood box and place the NUC frames immediatley adjacent to the feeder. 

Arranging the Frames:

• Use your hive tool to push the frames tightly together, ensuring the sidebars touch. 
• Divide the extra space evenly on either side of the frames.
  

Moving the Remaining Bees:

• After transferring the frames, some bees will remain in the NUC box and on the lid.
• Simply turn the box upside down and shake the remaining bees into your new hive. 

Final Steps:
Entrance Reducer - Set the entrance reducer to a smaller opening to help the bees defend against potential invaders and robbers. 

Feeding - Don't forget to feed your NUC. Remember, your young colony does not have a large population of foragers yet, so they will heavily rely on the feed you provide them. 

Close the hive - Replace the inter and outer covers securely. 

Monitor the Hive:

After a week, conduct your first hive inspection to check for eggs, brood, the queen, food stores and overall health. Continue feeding until the colony is well-established and can sustain itself. 

Let them Grow:

Allow your colony to expand naturally. As the colony grows, more frames will become drawn out with new comb. When almost all of 10 frames are drawn out with honeycomb in the original brood box, it's now time to install your second brood box. Pull a frame of immerging brood from the bottom brood box and move it to the second box to encourage bees to move up into the hive. Continue feeding on a regular basis. 

Adding Honey Supers:

When all 10 frames of your second brood box have been drawn, it is now time to add your honey super. You should stop feeding your bees at this time, so they do not store sugar solution in your honey super. To encourage bees to move into the honey super, you may choose NOT to use a queen excluder. Using a queen excluder often prevents a young colony from moving up into the honey super. If there is a good nectar flow, your bees should store nectar in the honey super.