A nucleus colony, or nuc for short, is a small honey bee colony created from a larger one. It’s so named because it’s smaller than a full-sized colony and is centred on a queen bee and a nucleus of worker bees. The value of nuclei.
A good quality nucleus is like gold dust and can be raised for a beginner by a local beekeeper or beekeeping association.
A good quality nucleus will
- have a young, good quality, laying queen. She may be marked and/or clipped
- have all stages of brood present
- be free of signs of disease
- have at least three frames with brood
- have four frames or more fully covered with honey bees
- have at least one full comb of honey (or equivalent) and half a frame of pollen
- contain comb which is in a good, clean condition, preferably being less than one season old
Meridian will be happy to raise a nucleus colony for new members provided they have attended the Introduction to beekeeping course. The value of nuclei
Meridian Beekeepers’ Association 