Hi all,
I am looking to have bees and looking for NUC to start with. anyone know how can I get them as out there a lots of people talking about Italian or non-italina bees and also different prices.
Thank you,
Amir
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Hi Amir,
The price will depend on where you are. Your profile says ‘central cost’ but doesn’t give a town. I’m in the Newcastle area and our local club has a few members who sell nucs. There are other beekeepers in the area who sell them. Prices are generally around the $250 mark, and some sell 5 frames, others 8 frames, but you’d need to check that.
Do you have a hive to move the bees to? A nuc will fill very quickly and the bees will go looking for a more roomy home if you leave them in a five frame box.
Italian bees are the most common and are good all-round quality for honey and temperament. Other varieties are sometimes preferred in colder climates - I think Tasmania prefers an English strain but can’t remember the name, and I think Russian bees are tougher for severe winters but more aggressive.
Now (or yesterday) is the time to get an order in for a nuc to be ready in mid October.
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Your local bee group is where you can get a nuc at a reasonable price when the members are doing splits. The Italian strain of bee is ideal for your climate and they are normally a calmer bee which is important for a beginner.
Join the group and you will have a great source for local advice.
Cheers
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Thank you Kim to get back to me. I ordered Flow 2 with 10 frame brood. i hope this is good enough to start. and I might order another brood box in case as I am new and dont know what to do. I read alot but it seems some people lose their bees several times not sure what can be done to prevent.
I have also read that you need feeding frame to make sure in start they dont leave you bare handed.
I am in central coast wamberal close to tumbi road
Thank you
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A single brood box is all you need in your climate, as a beginner keep your bee keeping simple.
It is a natural behavior for bees to tend to swarm in the Spring and that can happen regardless of the number of brood boxes on the hive. The risk of this happening is something you can avoid if you do Spring splits prior to the colony making queen swarm cells, you can learn about that from your local bee group and the is also videos on You Tube covering it.
You don’t need to buy a feeding frame, there are cheaper and just as good ways about feeding a hive but it could be you will never have to feed a hive. Last Summer was the first time I needed to feed my hives in 48 years because of the drought and no nectar in the flowers.
Cheers
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Hi Peter, Thank you for your help and useful information. I have contacted my local bee club and do my best to learn from them.
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Your local bee club is a great source for local advice but remember we are always her to help and support you.
Cheers