# why nucs so late?



## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

getting my nucs in mid may. I know our lilacs are in full bloom normally at mothers day and they will be arriving after that. They are coming from Maine but I thought being a nuc it would be earlier? package bees are coming in a week....so a month earlyier. 
also my supplier said they had overwintered as a nuc. so should I NOT have a queen in a cage right? is that the big difference between ones with caged queens and not? the caged queen ones are essentially a package of bees dumped into a box maybe with a frame of brood?


----------



## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

Not necessarily some folks cage the queen so she doesn't get hurt during transport they only way to know is to know and trust your supplier.


----------



## Michael B (Feb 6, 2010)

My nucs are in June. If you are getting them in May they are over wintered as nucs or splits with a purchased queen. Can't raise queens tha t early and evaluate them.

Other options are they were wintered in the south.

As was mentioned, trust your supplier.


----------



## WBVC (Apr 25, 2013)

Couldn't they be overwintered with the Queen that is with them?


----------



## rookie2531 (Jul 28, 2014)

I will offer late nucs this year if all goes well. I could sell my overwintered queens, but those are what I'm grafting from and want to make sure all goes well, so I am not letting those great queens go.


----------



## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

I think mid-may is about right. The supplier is likely making sure that the nuc is boiling and ready to be transferred into bigger equipment. It is better to get them later as a sure thing than earlier with the attendant risks.


----------



## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

Thanks everyone. sounds like its about normal. As far as trusting my supplier they are getting it from someone else so who knows. putting her in a cage makes sense though. really hope its boiling over as I watched a few videos and there looked like maybe a thousand bees in a few of the nucs and thought wow that's dismal. Appreciate all of your answers. As much as us noobs prepare and learn everything we can there is so much to know!


----------



## BMAC (Jun 23, 2009)

What i dont understand is why people are in such a hurry to get their nucs or packages. Very ineffective to hive honey ees with snow still on the ground. Seems to me as though the maple sugaring is still in the early part. 

As much as it pains beginners its prudent to be patient for their bees.


----------



## Dave1958 (Mar 25, 2013)

Newbees haven't thought how long it takes to get a queen mated. How long to build up 5 frames of bees. A proper nuc should almost be in a ready swarm state. Its what I expect, if I was buying a nuc. The supplier should go through the nuc showing me larva in all stages, pollen, honey/ nectar and of course the queen. My $.02


----------



## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

BMAC said:


> What i dont understand is why people are in such a hurry to get their nucs or packages. Very ineffective to hive honey ees with snow still on the ground. Seems to me as though the maple sugaring is still in the early part.
> 
> As much as it pains beginners its prudent to be patient for their bees.


good point. from my view I would expect to get them just prior to the first goof flow in my area. so feed for a week and bam right into the flow. I have literally a thousand flowers that I now view as a commodity to my bees which will be going to waste. I will be patient but the last 7 months building my own hives, watching every single you tube video, reading 3 books and god knows how many posts on sites has got me impatient I guess.


----------



## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

Dave1958 said:


> Newbees haven't thought how long it takes to get a queen mated. How long to build up 5 frames of bees. A proper nuc should almost be in a ready swarm state. Its what I expect, if I was buying a nuc. The supplier should go through the nuc showing me larva in all stages, pollen, honey/ nectar and of course the queen. My $.02


unfortunately my supplier Is second hand and has a lot of nucs that day to get rid of. you're saying she should open mine and show me all of that? should I show up in my suit? I didn't find a direct gaurenteed supplier withing 2 hours of me so I decided to go this route. at least its from the same region right?


----------



## rsjohnson2u (Apr 23, 2012)

BMAC said:


> What i dont understand is why people are in such a hurry to get their nucs or packages. Very ineffective to hive honey ees with snow still on the ground. Seems to me as though the maple sugaring is still in the early part.


Received a nuc a week ago (a split of returned CA almond bees with a caged queen-not "overwintered"). It's all local I guess. You may have snow on the ground, but my overwintered hives have been bringing in pollen for over a month, and storing big leaf maple nectar already.


----------



## fieldsofnaturalhoney (Feb 29, 2012)

kaizen said:


> unfortunately my supplier Is second hand and has a lot of nucs that day to get rid of. you're saying she should open mine and show me all of that? should I show up in my suit? I didn't find a direct gaurenteed supplier withing 2 hours of me so I decided to go this route. at least its from the same region right?


For me, this is potential problem #1, second hand. I personally would not buy a nuc from someone who has not "produced" it. Adding to many more variables unnecessarily. He/she may open &/or transfer to your own equipment, but this should be already worked out PRioR to pick up (at least In my opinion). In addition, if one wants to see the frames in the nuc (which is always a great idea), it should be done at sunrise or sunset, unless one doesn't mind missing bees


----------



## rookie2531 (Jul 28, 2014)

I would bring my suit and look at every frame before taking it home, whether I trusted the supplier or not. I would definitely want to see my beatiful queen.


----------



## SouthTexasJohn (Mar 16, 2015)

Dave1958 said:


> Newbees haven't thought how long it takes to get a queen mated. How long to build up 5 frames of bees. A proper nuc should almost be in a ready swarm state. Its what I expect, if I was buying a nuc. The supplier should go through the nuc showing me larva in all stages, pollen, honey/ nectar and of course the queen. My $.02


This (above) may sound elementary but to me it is starting to all make sense. Thanks Dave. I will be looking for for all this in my nucs.


----------



## grozzie2 (Jun 3, 2011)

rookie2531 said:


> I would bring my suit and look at every frame before taking it home, whether I trusted the supplier or not. I would definitely want to see my beatiful queen.



If I was picking up a nuc, I would expect it to be closed when I arrive. If I pop the lid and start looking at frames, by the time I'm done, the majority of the forager bees will be flying. Close it up after that to take it home, and you are leaving behind 1/3 of the bees you paid for.


----------



## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

Can they raise queens in Maine that early? 
I would assume the reason you're buying nucs from the NE states is to get local bees. You wouldn't want to pay for a CA queen in that nuc.


----------



## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

KQ6AR said:


> Can they raise queens in Maine that early?
> I would assume the reason you're buying nucs from the NE states is to get local bees. You wouldn't want to pay for a CA queen in that nuc.


Correct I was more concerned with getting nucs locally from northern new England. And at 150 a pop they were the only ones I could find I could afford. prices and demand have pushed this hobby up considerably in the last year. I'm going to have to trust my supplier and I guess i'll inspect when I transfer them into my hive. It is what it is at this point. I highly doubt my seller would refund my money if I just didn't like it. I mean I've always thought this is like ordering from the drive thru. if you get screwed there isn't much going back just deal with it.


----------



## Dave1958 (Mar 25, 2013)

I understand what your saying, but if as a newbee you need to know what your paying for. My question is which do you want- get a box of bees, hope it has drawn comb, hope it has a queen, hope it has honey, pollen, brood of all stages, hope it has a queen that has raised all that; or know all those things. Who's paying for these things? His having nucs to deliver is your problem how. It's like standing in line at Wal-Mart, if I'm in front of you I want my receipt right, I'm sorry it inconveniences you behind me. Get my drift( but don't b.s. about bees either after delivery)


----------



## Dave1958 (Mar 25, 2013)

Every nuc I've picked up is closed up I've gone through, as it's transferred to my equipment. Within 2 minutes every bee from box goes into mine. Then I close my box. The bees all go home with me.


----------



## newbury (Jul 19, 2014)

BMAC said:


> What i dont understand is why people are in such a hurry to get their nucs or packages. Very ineffective to hive honey ees with snow still on the ground. Seems to me as though the maple sugaring is still in the early part.
> 
> As much as it pains beginners its prudent to be patient for their bees.


Normally this time of year the cherries bloom around the Tidal Basin, ain't happen'in 

2 years ago in NE Mississippi in mid-March it was shirt sleeve weather, this year 6 inches of snow.

For many of those that PLANNED on a normal year and bought their bees by 1 January deliveries are coming.

Most of us can't walk next door and get a nuc whenever we want it


----------



## BMAC (Jun 23, 2009)

I know we all have to carefully plan our lives. Im just saying its prudent to not hurry your NUCs or packages. I know people are hot on getting their bees first week of March. We still had 2 feet of snow the first week of March. Beekeeping like all other agriculture driven fields is very much weather dependent. Would a new gardener try and break soil with 12 inches of frost still in the ground?

Seems to me as though you are setting the bees back by introducing them to that environment. Especially when it comes to NUCs.


----------



## wildbranch2007 (Dec 3, 2008)

Our bee club just got an email that the packages some people had ordered from Mann Lake for delivery in Penn. have been delayed due to poor weather in Cal. I think it was a two week delay from april to the beginning of may, and could be further delayed.


----------



## Tim KS (May 9, 2014)

grozzie2 said:


> If I was picking up a nuc, I would expect it to be closed when I arrive. If I pop the lid and start looking at frames, by the time I'm done, the majority of the forager bees will be flying. Close it up after that to take it home, and you are leaving behind 1/3 of the bees you paid for.


My thoughts exactly. If I wanted to check every frame before buying I would do so the day before I took them home. I want them screened before sunup on the day of the move.


----------



## Matt903 (Apr 8, 2013)

As someone who sells nucs, I want to evaluate each and every nuc I sell. I don't want to sell someone a nuc, that they have been looking forward to all winter, to have an inferior queen. That being said, good queen rearing cannot be rushed. The best time to rear queens in my area, is just starting. Even after she is mated and laying, it still takes a little while for her to get really going. If I were buying nucs, I wouldn't mind the wait, if it meant I was getting a better product, than just something that got slapped together the day before pickup.


----------



## BMAC (Jun 23, 2009)

I agree 100% matt.


----------



## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

You just need to buy from someone you trust - find out exactly what they are selling, and what the terms are. If they don't suit you, then keep looking. 

Personally I'm not letting any nucs go until they are something I would be happy to buy, but the demand far exceeds the supply at this time, so if anyone ever wants to back out for any reason - no problem. I have a list of people who hope they do.


----------



## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

I pick nucs up about an hr before sunset check em out then talk bees for a little bit when they get downbto only one or 2 bees returning in a 10 min period I close the screen I might get 4 or 5 that return after its closed but they hang out just fine on the outside of the screen trying to get in on the ride home


----------



## BadBeeKeeper (Jan 24, 2015)

David LaFerney said:


> *You just need to buy from someone you trust* - find out exactly what they are selling, and what the terms are. If they don't suit you, then keep looking.
> 
> Personally I'm not letting any nucs go until they are something I would be happy to buy, but the demand far exceeds the supply at this time, so if anyone ever wants to back out for any reason - no problem. I have a list of people who hope they do.


Eggsackly. I get my nucs from Lincoln Sennet (Swan's Honey, Albion, ME). Been buying from him for years, never a problem. Nucs will be already made and closed up on the day of pick-up, no transferring to other equipment, cash and carry. Newbies will be getting a "field day", getting some "hands on" opening full hives and inspecting.

Bees from CA almonds went to the yards in GA a week or so back where splits and nucs are being made up. Nucs will be treated for mites and FB. Should be arriving here in ME by end of this month or so.

The timing is not unusual.

When I ordered nucs last Sept., the list was already 3 pages long. Much longer now, with a waiting list of people hoping there will be some leftovers from people changing their minds.

(Hopefully, I've learned enough over the last few years that this will be the last year that I -buy- bees. I wasn't going to order any but the wife talked me into it, she said if we don't need them someone else will want them. Good thing, was a tough Fall/Winter season so I will be taking them.)


----------

