Bees : Nucleus

Beekeepers shorten the term nucleus to ‘nuc’. It is pronounced like nuc (nuke) in “nuclear”. Both pronunciations are common enough. They are accepted into the long list of beekeeping jargon.

A nucleus hive is a miniature full-size hive. It has all the parts that a colony of bees needs to grow into a fully functioning beehive that is able to sustain itself indefinitely. The nucleus hive will come with a mated queen who is actively laying eggs, 4-5 frames with fully developed honeycomb, around 10,000 adult bees, enough honey to survive transportation to the new beekeeper’s yard and lots of bee eggs that will hatch in the next several weeks. The nucleus hive is one of the more popular ways for beginner beekeepers to start their new colony of bees in their own backyard. If starting your first colony, make sure you put your hives in the right location.