It is supposed to be snowing/raining when I pick up my nuc tomorrow and I am a little panicked. The following day is supposed to be 50 degrees and cloudy. I’m concerned about installing the nuc in the cold or rain and wondering what the best thing to do for them is? I am worried about leaving them and the cardboard box getting wet if I don’t transfer them but I’m also worried transferring them in the cold will harm them. What is the best thing to do?
I would be inclined to transfer the bees under shelter & out of the wind, then set the hive up to feed them before placing the hive in the position you have allocated for it. The cold weather wont bother the bees so much as long as there’s plenty of sugar syrup for them. It’s young open brood that’s mostly affected by cold temps. Bees can drink honey, or syrup, then shiver & huddle together to generate heat.
What @JeffH suggested - transferring under cover is very reasonable.
Presumably the bees have been in that nuc box for at least a little while at your supplier so it probably wouldn’t hurt them to stay in there for a couple more days.
Consider putting the nuc box in the position that your flow hive will be and cover the box (leave the entrance unobstructed) with a tarp or something else waterproof for a few days until things warm up.
Hi @JennyMT,
It looks like following days are not going to be much better.
I think you have a choice of options depending on your appetite for trouble 
For example:
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Simple. Do as @chau06 said. I would add some sort of thermal insulation as well. Wait till temperature reaches ~68°F and transfer then.
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More complicated. There is a method for early spring work. Do you have some outbuilding that could be heated up? You may do transfer inside but it could be too much fun
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Compromise. Work inside of closed tent. Work fast. Use a spacer instead of additional frames. Prepare everything beforehand, so you need just to transfer frames, shake what is left in the box and close it. Use a bit of smoke of cause. Feed with warm syrup.
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Thank you for all your help and suggestions! I think I will do as JeffH suggested, but have a tarp as a back up plan if I change my mind once I actually get down to it!!
Hi Jenny, I must apologize because it was the end of a long day & I was thinking “package” instead of “nucleus”. I would follow the advice of @chau06 & @ABB , especially the thermal insulation part & make sure they have honey stores in the frames provided.
What did you decide to do and how did it go?
I ended up putting the nucs (still in their boxes) out next to the hives. I didn’t end up raining or snowing but it definitely seemed too cold and too windy. When I picked them up, they reassured me the cardboard boxes were dipped in wax (or maybe he said polyurethane, I’m forgetting now), so I didn’t cover the with a tarp. I put part of a pollen patty in each box, and left some water close by the entrance.
I planning on waiting till the middle of the day tomorrow when it hopefully is warm enough to transfer them over. If it’s not warm enough, I will cover them because it is supposed to rain on Monday. When I put them in their new hives, I will put a sugar/water feeder above the top of the brood box. I posted a picture, but the second brood box is just to hide the water feeder. Does this sound like a reasonable plan? Would you suggest doing anything differently?
Beautiful painting and scenery!
You may want some sort of paver or stable base to put the hives on so they don’t sink in and can stay level.
You may want to put the hives as close to the height and location of the nuc boxes so you don’t get any confused bees - if they aren’t flying and oriented already though it probably doesn’t make as much difference.
Okay! I will do that! Thank you for all the help.
Hi, I have a question on installing a NUC. We will pick up our NUC at 6:30 am, if the temp is not above 40, should we set the NUC as close to the hive as possible until the temp raises? Is it ok to install the NUC in the hive the same day we receive the NUC if the temp is above 40?
Thanks!
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I don’t think there is any real advantage to transferring the nuc if it is that cold, the bees won’t be doing much foraging or swarm prep if it’s so cool. 50’s is better, especially if the sun is shining and isn’t windy. The nucs have been growing up like this at your supplier for weeks probably, so a couple more days won’t be a problem.
It could be detrimental to the brood (open in particular) if it is too cold at the time of transfer and they get chilled, and the new, larger hive will be harder for them to keep warm.
When you position the nuc, if you decide not to transfer it right away, just put it as close to the height and location of where the regular hive will be.
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