I'm a new beekeeper and my first Flow Hive. Which should I purchase a package or nuc?

I’m a new beekeeper and my first Flow Hive. Which should I purchase a package or nuc?

Me, I’d go for a nuc. You get a young queen with her own brood in a mini hive.
A Package will have nothing, no frames, no brood, not even their own queen.
The former will be more expensive than the latter though

The packages said they include a queen. I like the established feeling of the nuc.

So here are pros and cons as I see it especially being a new beekeeper, myself as of March 12, 2016. 2016 for me was a good year.

A package Bee, it’s just that.
no frames
no foundation
no brood
no wax honeycomb
no real understanding if the clean is truly fertile and laying eggs

A NUC
has 5 frames foundation
has 3 solid frames of wax
has brood
has eggs
has stored honey
has store to pollen

Being a new beekeeper this would be a great advantage. This would give you a little bit of a head start. Yes a package B’s cost less but there’s reasons why they’ve got to make everything and without a doubt there’s additional trials you will need to go through. With a NUC it takes some learning and guesswork out of it. As you advance in what you’ve learned a package may be good for a future hive

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They do but she will be from a bank and will be in a cage and the bees will have been shaken from a number of hives. It’s a cheap way of getting bees and lots of people get them that way. They can be posted like that and are.
Marty is right…go for a nuc and go for locally adapted bees
Good luck

You certainly make valid points. You just place the nuc in? No problem with the Flow hive set up. I getting so excited and I still have to wait until May!

Yes Marty
That’s what a beginner needs…less worry and bees that are already an established colony

I think that’s how I will go. I do want some success the first season. Can I expect honey the first season? I live in the cold northeast.

:slight_smile: i was trying to explain it as I was explained when I was starting out. there is so much we new beeeees don’t know or even know what to ask. that is why I try to over explain

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I was told not to expect a harvest your 1st year.

I was lucky, I guess for I was able to get a harvest and then a 2nd one before the year ended.

Other friends of mine which started out about the same time as I did was not so lucky

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I appreciate all and any advice. I’ll research where I may find a nuc for local pickup.

No you don’t…you do just right :smile:

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getting it as soon as possible in the Season will likely help your success.

Also feed them a lot until such time you put your honey super on. That will help improve your success.

Just as a clarification, you will not put your flow frames on until your bottom/breadbox is busting at it seems with bees

I wouldn’t bank on it, the bees need to build up into a strong colony to overwinter on their own stores. They will repay you tenfold the season after. Patience.
You could steal a bit of comb though :smile:

There is more that I don’t know, than what I do! I’m signing up for a local class.

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Very very smart, I’m still taking classes. Find a mentor that will also pay off tenfold.

Mentor, I mean someone you can help them with their hives. By helping you will become more comfortable with handling the honeybees as well as understanding what you see.

I just assumed It all went together at once. OHHHH - I do have a lot to learn…

So did I and so did most of the new beekeepers on this forum.

If you get the bees too much room too soon, it’ll actually set them back. There are number of thoughts of why, but I think the main reason is they are not able to keep it warm enough to raise the the eggs into brood sooner/quicker. They need to keep the hive at a certain temperature in order for the brood to raise. By giving them too much room they can’t keep the entire box warm.

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From what I understand, I can get my nuc (I’ve made that decision) in May - about how long before I add the flow frame?

It’s very hard to answer, how long is a piece of string :slight_smile: there’s too many variables.
Are you in town or in the country
what is the pollen sources plentiful or not
has it rained lately
has it rained too much
is it overly dry
are the temperatures too hot or too cold

Even someone 30 miles away could have hundred percent different response to these questions to know when to add a 2nd breadbox or add the flow frames. And all this is at the time that your bees are trying to produce honeycomb, brood

That’s another question are you going to run one broodbox with flow frames or 2 brood boxes with flow frames.

You’ll need to ask your local beekeepers what is the best scenario for your situation/area.