# 5 frame nucs for sale?



## sherekin1261 (Mar 17, 2004)

Hi all,

As I said we are very NEW to bees.. and are still in the learn as much as possible before we get bees stage. Today at Tractor Supply ( on their for sale board) we saw "5 frame nucs for sale" Is this a small hive with bees? Like a starter hive or?

Im still trying to learn all the terminology etc. The sign said they were Italian bees too.

Thanks 
Shere


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Yes a 5 frame nuc is sort of a mini hive used for starting out a colony.
A good Nuc will have a laying queen, a frame or two of brood and eggs in different stages from just laid eggs to about to hatch bees. there are usally a frame or two of honey and pollen for the bees also to feed to the larva.

There are also 4 frame nucs. 

Prices vary by region here in Michigan they are running in the $95.00 to $105 range.

 Al


----------



## BjornBee (Jan 17, 2011)

Shere,

The demand is so great for bees, that anyone with a licensed business, anyone inspected by the state, anyone who belongs to a bee association, and anyone who does one ounce of advertising to beekeepers in the local area, are quickly sold out.

Anytime I see advertisements such as this or like craigs list, are to me, beekeepers operating below the radar, those that are selling sometimes questionable stuff, or those selling without any real reputation at stake. So buyer beware.

The number one way of getting such problems as AFB (American Foulbrood) are from those not being inspected, or selling off old comb and frames.

I'm all for bartering, not paying taxes, and operating outside the system. My comments are just a red flag reminder that you should ask questions before buying from ANY beekeeper. And perhaps a question or two more from those needing to post advertisements at Tractor supply.

Ask:
How old is the comb?
Treatment history
Past AFB problems
Whether they are inspected

ANY.....And I mean ANY hesitation by the seller to answer your questions should be justified cause for you running the other direction.


----------



## sherekin1261 (Mar 17, 2004)

Thanks for the info! 
Like I said, we are NOT yet ready for bees. We are trying to learn so we can be well prepared when the time comes. Hubby would love to encourage a wild hive to take up residence in the Top Bar hive he wants to build but even that is a ways off. In the meantime we want to read all we can. I found some decent looking books at barnes and nobles. Natural Beekeeping was one, Beekeeping for Dummy's ( wasn't impressed) and Backyard Beekeeping which looked good as well. We raise most of our own food. Veggies, fruit and meats. This year we will be venturing into some of he grains as well. So I guess honey is the next step 

Shere


----------



## indypartridge (Oct 26, 2004)

sherekin1261 said:


> We are trying to learn so we can be well prepared when the time comes.


This is where being involved with a local club comes in handy, i.e., when you see a post at TSC about bees for sale, if you haven't already met the seller at a meeting, you can call someone from the club and ask if they know the seller, would recommend the seller, etc. I always recommend buying local bees, but as Bjorn noted, there are some caveats.



> Hubby would love to encourage a wild hive to take up residence in the Top Bar hive


Read up on swarm traps!



> Natural Beekeeping....


I liked it for the most part. A few of the later chapers were a bit overboard (to me) regarding being organic and all natural, almost "religious".



> Backyard Beekeeping


I own this book and my only complaint is that the font size is a bit small for my older eyes. Haven't seen the new edition, so maybe it's better.


----------

