# Problem with Better Bee Nuc box - See Pic



## pcelar (Oct 5, 2007)

Yuck. Back to drawing board.


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## riverrat (Jun 3, 2006)

od that is just plain ugly. I would drill a couple of holes in the bottom board to allow the water to drain


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## peggjam (Mar 4, 2005)

Switch your cover to a telescoping cover, that will help keep the rain out. As RR suggested, you could drill some drain holes, but, you should put wire over them to keep the mice out if you do this.


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## JC (Jun 3, 2006)

odfrank said:


> Entrance hole is drill about 1/2" or more higher than bottom board. Box fills with rain water and/or condensation and forms yucky dead bee swamp on bottom.


The Better Bee Nuc box is the worst on the market! I own 5 of them. The best components, and least expensive, for the Nuc box are: outer cover from Brushy Mountain, bottom board from Rossman, inner cover from Rossman, Nuc hive body from Brushy Mountain or Rossman.


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## Dick Allen (Sep 4, 2004)

Those were sold by Alberta beekeeper Dave Tagart at Apimondia '99 in Vancouver. Better Bee bought from him and resold. Then they modified the design a bit and sold their own. The original design by Dave Tagart only had one vent hole above the bottom entrance. 

They were designed for overwintering nucs. The reason the entrance is located about an inch above the bottom is so that syrup can be pumped into the opening. A lot of nucs could be quickly fed that way. Some bees do drown, but since the bottom of the frames are in the syrup, most of the bees can get back up. At least that is the theory.

Certainly you can drill some drain holes in the bottom, but that defeats the original purpose. I guess it depends on how you want to use the nucs.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

I am going to drill out the entrance larger so that it will drain out. I did have this nuc slanted forward a bit, but did not notice that the entrance was elevated. I had actually imitated the slanted entrance hole with disk, but in mine drilled the hole so that actually exits partially thru the bottom board. I also made my entrances 1" diameter. When the nucs get active they need a bigger entrance.

I think this is the cutest setup I have ever had. Betterbee styrafoam nuc to the left, BetterBee wooden nuc second from left, others are homemade. Can you get any cuter than that???


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## Dick Allen (Sep 4, 2004)

odfrank, that is nice! you must have added those handholds yourself to the sytrofoam nuc on the left, huh?


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

*Handholds Rule*



Dick Allen said:


> odfrank, that is nice! you must have added those handholds yourself to the sytrofoam nuc on the left, huh?


There is so much whining on this website about the weight of deep boxes because people have somehow not learned THAT ALL BEE BOXES SHOULD HAVE HANDHOLDS. Of course a heavy box is hard to hold when you can only hold it by squeezing your finger tips in a shallow slot. I put diagonally cut handholds on every box I own. With sloped tops and bottoms the handholds drain, and give one a great grip.


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