# Cardboard Nuc Box



## AstroZomBEE (Aug 1, 2006)

I want to have some cardboard nuc boxes on hand for this spring's nuc sales as a convenience for my customers.

What companies produce cardboard boxes, and which does everyone prefer? and Why? 
What set's Mann lake's box apart from say Brushy Mtn?
Also i'm only looking to get one use out of the box so the most bang for the buck would be nice.

Those are the two I was able to find on short notice, but I know there have to be more manufacturers out there making these as well.




Aaron


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## BMAC (Jun 23, 2009)

Not sure of Brushy Mtn but I had some NUCS overheat and kill most of them this past spring on a 90 degree day. Those cardboard NUC boxes do NOT have enough ventilation if you plug the entrance for the customer to take home.

I highly suggest you add alot more holes with a knife or something so it has adequate ventilation.


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## AstroZomBEE (Aug 1, 2006)

@BMAC thank you for your reply, that is the type of feedback I need.

Im pretty sure Brushy Mtn sells the MDA splitter cardboard nuc Box
http://www.mdasplitter.com/pics/batched/600/100_1111.jpg

Which appears to have adequate ventilation with a mesh insert between two layers of Cardboard.


Aaron


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## BMAC (Jun 23, 2009)

Pro of Mann Lake NUC box is they are wax impregnated and the lid is folded so it fits onto it nicely, I litterally left a NUC in one all summer long with no problem. They also have a quick plastic plug to seal up the entrance. It looks like the frame rests on the Brushy MTN boxes are much nicer though and actually lock the frames into place.

What is the price of the BM boxes?


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

Get some Jester nucs. Won't degrade, lots of ventilation and reusable. Lots of nice features.


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

camero7 said:


> Get some Jester nucs. Won't degrade, lots of ventilation and reusable. Lots of nice features.



If I could copy and paste the above answer a million times and still keep Barry off my back I would. There is NO OTHER ANSWER regarding reusable nucs currently on the market. 

I won't say they can't degrade but my experience is that the rate of degradation is comparable to a turtle VS rocket race to the burn pile. 

The ML cardboard ones are plain GARBAGE compared to the Jesters. 

Any questions?


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

honey-4-all said:


> still keep barry off my back i would. Any questions?


lol....


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

First I don't sell nucs
I do have some Mann Lake wax coated cardboard nuc boxes and the first thing I did to them was increase the ventilation, they will with stand weather.
I have one Jester box, it is nice with nice vents.
I have some MDA splitter boxes, they have nice vents and have an inner cover.

IF I was selling I would use MDA boxes because of the cost


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## westernbeekeeper (May 2, 2012)

I make my own D Coates style nuc boxes for about $6 each. I can design my own ventilation in those. Takes a little elbow grease, but hey, I have more time than money!


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

Which box is more suitable for shipping? Which are safer to stack?


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

Jester nucs stack 4 high full of bees without problems. Nucs came up from FL last spring on truck and trailer with only one that overheated. It was a very strong nuc. Short answer is they stack well and ship very well.


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## BMAC (Jun 23, 2009)

Yes but going with junky cardboard NUC boxes isnt about transportation from Fl to Ma or NY. Not for me atleast, as all my NUCs stay in wooden boxes until pickup time. Its about sending it off with the customer and not worrying about seeing it again. So as far as I am concerned resuability is a moot point, but wax impregnated is nice if pickup gets delayed for a weeks worth of cold hard rain. However I do see your point about Jester. They are still cheap enough if you sell 300+ NUCs a year but when you consider free shipping from Mann Lake and $675.00 more in my pocket because of a NUC box I will never see again I think I will keep the $675.00 and put it towards the fuel bill from Ga to NY.


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

BMAC said:


> Its about sending it off with the customer and not worrying about seeing it again. $675.00 more in my pocket


Charge the extra buck or 3 if you really need the gas money. The customers will appreciate the quality when they think of who to hit up next year. *Sell* them as a "unit" that will be reusable.


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

It's one of the selling points that I used the last couple years. Customers love them and reuse them a lot.


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

camero7 said:


> It's one of the selling points that I used the last couple years. Customers love them and reuse them a lot.


When it comes time to wip out the wallet I'd rather plunk my money down on a product that lasts like a well built wood box. When it comes to loading time and I have to wip out my spine to load nucs....well...... the pain invoked by the "air" weight of the Jester nucs is a lot easier to handle and I sleep much better when we wrap.


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

We have always shipped our nucs from CA in plywood and wood boxes but considering plastic. Seems like jester plastic will hold better strapped down than cardboard.


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## westernbeekeeper (May 2, 2012)

RAK said:


> We have always shipped our nucs from CA in plywood and wood boxes but considering plastic. Seems like jester plastic will hold better strapped down than cardboard.


As mentioned before in this thread, I make all my own nuc boxes for about $6 + labor. They are made from 1/2" plywood, and glued and stapled, make a great box. With proper ventilation, they are great for shipping, and are very nice for reuse, especially if painted. I feel very good giving customers these boxes. I give them a $5 refund in returned. Might up that to give more incentive!


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

Wood boxes are nice but We have a hard time getting to them in the winter. Considering the labour, material and time Plastic seems like a good solution.

The plywood are great for winter especially when wax dipped.


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

westernbeekeeper said:


> They are made from 1/2" plywood,!


Why not use 3/8. I have some that have 3/8 walls and they are 8, 1/8 wide so 2 nucs is a width of 16.25". That way we shake bees off of brood and put them over queen excluder and we get 2 nucs per hive.

3/8 allows 5 frames instead of 4...


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## westernbeekeeper (May 2, 2012)

I could use 3/8", never tried it yet. Sounds like you have a good idea..... :applause:


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

If you don't need too many, Recycling is a good way some assembled cardboard nuc box's> I put out the word with our local bee supplier I would like any box's that people did not want to keep. He ended up with about 100 of them back from his customers. I gave him a cooler full of frozen halibut filets for the effort on his part. With all our kids grown and gone, we catch more fish than we can use and was a good trade. He likes chocolate chip cookies too.


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

I bought 25 of the MDA splitter boxes and am happy with them, like the original poster I am only looking for a single use. I did find a way to secure them for transit using my favorite repurposed-for-bees-non-bee-item.
http://s1110.photobucket.com/user/A...0070D4AE2A4D_zps06a8428b.jpg.html?sort=6&o=27


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

That's a great use for feed bags for cool, rainy weather, thanks


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

Lauri, they are a snug fit. I think it would be a major PIA to put the bags on as many nucs as you have in post #21.


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## AstroZomBEE (Aug 1, 2006)

I've been in contact with some suppliers and this is the info I have recived so far for large bulk orders:

http://www.jesterbee.com/EZ-Nuc.html Quote from Dadant $7.25/ea for orders over 1000


http://www.mannlakeltd.com/beekeeping-supplies/category/page62.html#NB-250 $4.25 each 


http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Waxed-Cardboard-Nuc/productinfo/191/ 5.45 each 


MDASplitter Box, same as Brushy Mountain, but from manufacturer $4.248/each, min order 2500


If anyone knows of any other options please speak up.

Aaron


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

AstroZomBEE said:


> I've been in contact with some suppliers and this is the info I have recived so far for large bulk orders:
> 
> http://www.jesterbee.com/EZ-Nuc.html Quote from Dadant $7.25/ea for orders over 1000
> 
> ...


If you go with the Jesters and don't need the full 1k let me know. Maybe we could split an order if your up for it.


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## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

Arron cant you call Kevin jester up directly and get better pricing for that many? I know a few years ago he would do that.


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## AstroZomBEE (Aug 1, 2006)

@swarm Trapper

I emailed them, still waiting on a response.

Aaron


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## ga.beeman (Mar 29, 2009)

I have used jesters as well as Mann lake. I have had problems with the jesters overheating. The first year we used them I like them. They done a upgrade to them the next year and I wasn't happy with the results. They are harder to fold and they are not as bee proof as before. I sent jester a email and never got a reply. Customer service goes a long ways with me. The Mann lake boxes do last outdoors better than I expected. But they will not last as long as jesters but they are about half the price. If I was just selling the Nuc I would probably go with Mann lake. If I was going to reuse the Nuc i would go with jester until I could get some wooden boxes built.


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## tommysnare (Jan 30, 2013)

RAK said:


> Why not use 3/8. I have some that have 3/8 walls and they are 8, 1/8 wide so 2 nucs is a width of 16.25". That way we shake bees off of brood and put them over queen excluder and we get 2 nucs per hive.
> 
> 3/8 allows 5 frames instead of 4...



can u explain this deeper ? 2 nucs over a fullsize colony and all worker bees intermingling is what im gathering fram what u said.


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

When making nucs we make two nucs per hive. Shake bees off brood and set into wooden nuc boxes and place those over excluders. Half hour later we pull and add cells.


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## ga.beeman (Mar 29, 2009)

I have used both and like different things about both. The price of Mann lakes box is a plus and they are easier to fold. I cut a 4x5 hole in one end and use #8 hardware cloth. When you put these together they don't leak bees. They are only a one use box most of the time. The jesters will last a couple seasons who for me is the plus. The minus for me is if you make a very strong Nuc I have had customers have them overheat several times. They are a lot harder to fold and they do leak bees. Which is a problem for people picking them up in a car or SUV . I emailed jester about these boxes and never got a reply. So I made the decision to go with Mann lakes and glad I did. I will not use jesters as long as I can get the cardboard box. They are less money and I can fold them a lot faster even cutting hole and attaching screen . If you are only doing a one time use I would think you would be glad with the cardboard box


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

> they do leak bees


newest ones I've used are much better about this. I believe Kevin corrected the flaw that allowed it.


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