Whats a Nuc?

Our next meeting of the Nelson County Beekeepers will feature Greg Whitis, Ag agent in McCreary County KY, speaking on Nucs and Splits so I thought I would provide you with little information leading up to that event.  A nucleus colony, or nuc, is essentially a smaller hive, sometimes in a smaller box, consisting of bees in all stages of development, as well as food, a laying queen, and enough workers to cover from three to five combs. When placed into a full-sized hive body and given supplemental feeding, the nuc usually expands rapidly into a strong colony. When started in early spring, these hives may produce surplus honey in their first year under favorable weather and nectar flow conditions. The advantages of starting with a nuc rather than a package include: faster colony development due to the presence of brood and no break in the queen’s laying cycle; ease of establishing the unit in your own equipment; and a chance to inspect the nuc before purchasing. Sales of nucs have increased tremendously over the past few years and are making inroads into the well-established package bee businesses. Read More

Youth and Beekeeping



Learning To Keep



On Monday this week I had the good opportunity to speak about beekeeping to the Nelson County 4-H Natural resources club.  Twenty youth and adults learned about the process of keeping bees, pollination importance, and lots of other fun facts.  They got to have hands on time with the equipment which always brings learning home for me.  We finished the day with a honey taste test that was excitedly received.    As beekeepers anytime we can teach the next generation, kudos to us