Learn essential steps for safely transporting a nucleus hive, from proper gear and handling to preventing overheating and ensuring a calm colony transfer.
Learn the step-by-step process for starting a bee colony, from choosing between packages and nucs to successful installation and critical first-month care.
Learn how a nuc box helps new bee colonies by improving thermal efficiency, accelerating brood production, and ensuring a stronger start for the season.
Explore 5-frame, plastic, wooden, and cardboard nuc boxes. Learn how frame count, material, and design impact colony success for transport, queen rearing, or overwintering.
Discover why a nuc (nucleus colony) is the best choice for new beekeepers, offering a proven queen, established brood, and reduced risk for a thriving hive.
Discover the key features of 6-frame styrofoam beehives: superior thermal insulation, lightweight design, and ideal use for overwintering and nucleus colonies.
Learn the correct way to install a nucleus hive. A nuc comes with an established queen; the process is about transferring the entire colony, not introducing a new queen.
Learn how requeening with a nuc provides an immediate, proven queen and a surge of brood to solve queen problems fast, ensuring colony survival and rapid recovery.
Learn the optimal mid-May to late-July window for creating double nucs. Ensure colony survival by aligning with peak strength and queen mating conditions.
Discover how using a standard deep body for nucs eliminates disruptive transfers, reduces queen supercedure risk, and provides unmatched management flexibility.
Learn the 1:4 nuc-to-hive ratio for proactive beekeeping. Strengthen colonies, prevent losses, and maximize honey production with a resource hive system.
Learn the correct method to transfer all 5 nuc frames into a queenless hive, including brood, bees, and food stores, for optimal acceptance and colony growth.
Discover the critical step for hiving a nuc: preserving brood nest integrity by transferring frames in the same order to minimize stress and prevent absconding.
Discover how overwintering a nucleus hive provides insurance against winter losses, a head start on spring buildup, and a resource for boosting ailing colonies.
Learn the 3 best ways to add frames to a nuc box after a split: drawn comb, foundation, or extra resources. Make the right choice for your colony's success.
Learn the exact frame composition of a 10-frame hive after installing a nuc, including the strategic placement of brood frames and new foundation for expansion.
Learn why a 5-frame nuc box is the perfect swarm trap. Discover how its size, structure, and insulation attract and establish new colonies effectively.
Learn the key signs like brood nest congestion and queen cells that indicate your nuc is ready for a full hive to prevent swarming and ensure colony health.
Discover how polyurethane foam hives provide superior insulation for bees, enhancing winter survival, spring growth, and honey production by up to 30%.
Learn how nucleus colonies (nucs) enable rapid, cost-effective beekeeping expansion, swarm prevention, and hive health management for commercial apiaries.
Learn the essential components for a successful summer nuc: brood frames, food stores, foundation, and a strong bee population for healthy colony growth.
Learn the critical steps for successfully introducing a new queen to a nuc colony, from preparation to verification. Avoid common pitfalls and ensure acceptance.
Discover the purpose of the hole in a 5-frame nuc box lid: a built-in feature for efficient, low-disturbance hive top feeding to promote colony growth.
Learn the essential steps to split a beehive, from resource allocation to queen management, for swarm prevention, mite control, and sustainable growth.
Learn how to prevent honey bee swarming through proactive space management, colony splits, and understanding bee behavior. Keep your hives productive and intact.
Discover why starting with two beehives is crucial for new beekeepers. Learn how a second hive acts as an insurance policy and resource bank for colony health.
Learn when to avoid hive inspections to prevent stressing your colony. Key factors include cold, rainy, or windy weather to protect brood and forager stability.
Discover the uses of beekeeping medium boxes for honey storage and brood chambers. Learn the benefits of standardized equipment for easier hive management.
Learn how to attract bees to a new box using scent lures like lemongrass oil, proper hive volume, and strategic placement to mimic an ideal home for scout bees.
Discover the 3 standard bee box depths (deep, medium, shallow) and how to choose the right size for optimal hive management, honey yield, and beekeeper safety.
Discover the key benefits of all-medium beekeeping equipment: reduced weight, simplified management, and improved hive flexibility for commercial apiaries.
Discover why starting with two beehives is the best strategy for new beekeepers, enabling resource sharing and providing a critical safety net for colony health.
Learn the critical steps after honey harvest: when to return supers for a second crop or remove them for winter. Essential for colony health and honey production.
Learn about honey bee swarming, a natural reproductive strategy indicating a strong, healthy colony. Understand the triggers, process, and risks involved.
Learn the 3 critical rules for transporting queen cells: maintain vertical orientation, avoid shock, and regulate temperature to ensure queen viability.
Learn why medium or shallow honey supers are the standard for beekeeping safety, preventing back strain from heavy, deep supers during hive inspections and harvest.
Discover the critical role of the brood box as the hive's nursery for the queen bee and developing brood, essential for colony health and productivity.
Discover why medium boxes are the top choice for beekeepers, offering the perfect balance of honey capacity and manageable weight for better hive management.
Learn the 3 core principles for a successful starter hive: queenless imperative, nurse bee abundance, and resource wealth to maximize graft acceptance and queen quality.
Discover the key benefits of migratory beehive lids, including seamless stacking for transport, simplified inspections, and cost-efficiency for commercial beekeepers.
Discover the two standard Langstroth hive widths: 8-frame and 10-frame. Compare weight, capacity, and management to choose the right system for your apiary.
Discover the 3 standard Langstroth hive box heights: Deep, Medium, and Shallow. Learn their roles, weights, and how to choose the best for your beekeeping style.
A hive box is the central brood chamber for a honeybee colony. Learn its critical role in beekeeping, how it differs from honey supers, and common mistakes to avoid.
Learn how to choose the right hive box based on function, weight, and management strategy. Compare deep, medium, and shallow boxes for your beekeeping needs.
Learn how climate dictates brood nest size. From single deeps in warm climates to double deeps for cold winters, ensure your colony's survival and health.
Learn why bees need a strong nectar flow and a crowded brood box before expanding into a honey super. Boost your beekeeping success by understanding their instincts.
Learn why a single brood box is often insufficient in summer, leading to swarming, and discover the best options for adding brood space to your Flow Hive.
Discover the standard Langstroth hive box sizes: 10-frame vs. 8-frame widths and deep, medium, and shallow depths. Learn the trade-offs between weight and honey production capacity.
Discover why honey bees store honey as a critical survival food source for winter, nectar dearths, and colony growth. Learn the key to hive resilience.
Learn the industry-standard two-step process for cleaning hive boxes: mechanical scraping and thermal sanitization with a propane torch for colony health.
Learn how to properly set up a swarm box for successful queen rearing. Follow our guide to create a queenless environment that triggers queen cell production.
Learn the correct way to install a Langstroth hive roof. Avoid common mistakes and ensure proper hive ventilation and weather protection for your bees.