# NUCS or 3# of bees?



## jnap31 (Sep 16, 2005)

Hate to just jump in here for the first time with questions, I have lots of hives I bought right before the deployment and I will be keeping bees when I get home, when is the best time to get them in north west AR I am guessing early april? I am buying mine from Jester bee company they are 5 hours away, they raise Russians so I am looking forward to having some bees that are resistant to varoa mites I will also be using small cell sized foundation to help with that as I dont want to use chemicals. So would I be better off getting nucs 4 frame with queen $80 last year (probably will be more now) Or 3# of bees and quessn 62$? I am guessing the Nucs would be more likely to survive what do you think?


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

If your starting with brand new foundation then the nucs will build faster since they already have 4 frames done and brood to carry one. 
Packages will build up slower as they have to draw comb out before the queen can lay.

It all boils down to how much you want to spend.

 Al


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## jnap31 (Sep 16, 2005)

thanks allyyooper here is the link to where I am getting them from
if anyone is interested http://www.jesterbee.com/BeeSupplies.html


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## dcross (Aug 12, 2005)

What happens with the 10% of the nucs that will be queenless after shipping?

Are you paying for shipping? If so, I'd go with the packages.


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## jnap31 (Sep 16, 2005)

Yes I would pay for shipping, The place is 5 hours drive from me one way so it will take a lot of gas to get there, I am not sure if it would be cheaper to get them thru the mail or drive?, I did not realize that some queens would die on the way, They say shipping takes 6 days but with me being 5 hours away I was hoping it would be only 2 days or 3 so it would be easier on the bees. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and make the trip? I was going to try starting with 3 nucs and two 3# pounders as I have atleast two hives that still have good comb in them or atleast they did before I left over a year ago the wax moths may have eaten them by now.


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## Pat (Jul 24, 2004)

I'd bet your wax is all gone! 

I'd also go the Nuc's route. Having 4 frames of brood is worth a bunch. Also, if for some reason the queen dies in route, they will feed Royal Jelly to 8 or 10 of the brood to make another queen.

I'll be getting new bees again next spring. The earlier the better. Hopefully that April date you are talking about. 

Around here I can get bees from the Mountain Home Bee Keepers club. Not sure what makes up the Nuc, but you can order the queen for it from them (I'll go Russian Queen also). I plan on ordering 2 more this spring through them. It should be less of a trip for you than the 5 hours. (I didn't know they would ship Nuc's... I thought they'd only ship the 3 pounds worth.)

Pat


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## jnap31 (Sep 16, 2005)

maybe I was mistaken I though they would ship the NUCs at anyrate I dont think I can get bees to easily around fayetteville from the keepers there as several people from my class at the university tried unsucsessfully thru the teachers connections. Jesterbee told me they would not have them for me till MAY just found out yesterday. What happened to your old bees Pat? Maybe I need to just try to get the NUCS from a local bee keeper and order the queens from Jester like you said I bet I could find someone if I looked though I think it will be pretty expensive probably $85 with out a queen locally and then if I dont get the queen from Jester right away wont they start building a queen cell Oh never mind I guess the queen from Jester would destroy it right? I cant remember half of what I learned been thru a lot since then.Getting sleepy it's 10pm here but I am off tomorrow still better go sleep now. Good night thanks Pat.


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## Pat (Jul 24, 2004)

Thought you were up pretty late! (I've worked in Russia and Kazakhstan and just visited Uzbekistan.)

One of the things about 3 pounds of bees is in the spring / early summer worker bees only have a life span of about 40 days. How many of the bees are at what age when you buy the 3 pounds?

The club sells the Nuc's with the queen already added here. I'm surprised Fayetteville doesn't have a Bee Keeping club.

If there is a queen cell being made(usually 8 to a dozen when they do it)... just scrape it (them) off and add the new queen. Again, locally they sell the Nuc with a new queen and their existing bees (why you don't know what bees your getting, but with the short life span it really doesn't matter what they are.) 

Lost the first hive to the winter (not enough honey and I didn't feed sugar water((didn't realize how low they were))), 2nd I'm not sure. They had honey left but only had a small nucleus of bees left when I checked (all dead) and no brood. Maybe they lost their queen late winter. I actually thought the hive was still active (as I have a neighbor within 1 mile that keeps bees, and they were stealing the last of the honey).

I do know not to rob them the first year, and we only have one honey flow around here. (neighbor I was talking about brought 18 hives with him when he moved... lost 15 the first winter as he robbed too much after the first honey flow ((late June))thinking there was a fall honey flow like where he had lived before.). Don't know if y'all have a fall honey flow or not.

Sure hope we get to meet after you get back.

Pat


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## busybee870 (Mar 2, 2006)

I got my nuc and queen im Bellfonte outside of Harrison, I think they are carnolians, but whatever they are they are very docile, it was 65.oo for the queen and 4 frames of brrod and bees, i just returned the nuc a week later. Very nice man, he sells Dadant supplies from his home. If you want his name let me know.


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## jnap31 (Sep 16, 2005)

Pat their is a club but they are not into helping new folks get started for some reason, as our teacher at the university who is a member sent them all an e-mail asking if some would be willing to sell nucs to some yonng folks in my bee keeping course and no one was willing to sell. Hope you have better luck with them next year.We have a very small honey flow in the fall where I live, As you know NW AR is not the best place for making honey. Yup hopefully we will meet when I get back did you Pm me your phone #?


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## jnap31 (Sep 16, 2005)

busybee870 said:


> I got my nuc and queen im Bellfonte outside of Harrison, I think they are carnolians, but whatever they are they are very docile, it was 65.oo for the queen and 4 frames of brrod and bees, i just returned the nuc a week later. Very nice man, he sells Dadant supplies from his home. If you want his name let me know.


Yes he is a lot closer than the jesterbee place, please give me his contact info, thanks


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## busybee870 (Mar 2, 2006)

Il Pm You His Name And All Tomorrow, I Forgot Where I Put It. Lol Ill Be Getting More From Him In The Spring, Hes A Great Guy, Like I Said He Also Sells Dadant Supplies From His Home, He Makes Regular Trips Up That Way, And Can Pick Up Anything You May Need.


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## jnap31 (Sep 16, 2005)

Thanks busybee870 I will be waiting in anticipation


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