Purchasing a nucleus colony is an investment. The questions below are designed for purchasers of nucleus (nuc) colonies to ask of sellers so the buyer can better understand the history, health, and makeup of the nucleus colonies they intend to purchase. The more information the buyer has about the nuc they intend to purchase, the better they will be able to plan to receive the colony and manage it.

Questions to ask of sellers of nucleus colonies prior to arranging a purchase:

● (1) Ask the seller, “Have these nucs (or mother colonies from which they were made) been inspected by the state apiary inspector? “

• Notes for purchaser: Inspection is not legally required for in-state sales in Maryland, but it is an important step to safeguard your investment. Inspections will help ensure your nucleus colony is free of American Foul Brood (AFB). Inspection by the Maryland Department of Agriculture is free of charge.

● (2) Note the kind of equipment you have (deep or medium woodenware) and order a nuc to match. If you plan to use other hive styles (e.g., Layens, top-bar, Warré, other), the Langstroth frames in a nuc will not fit in your hive. You will need to acquire bees as a package or by catching and installing a swarm.

● (3) Nucleus colonies can come in different sizes and configurations. You will want to know what you’re buying. Ask the seller, “What is your definition of a nuc? How many frames of brood? How many frames of food (pollen and honey)? Will the nuc contain empty drawn frames or undrawn frames?”

• Notes for the purchaser: The general guidelines for a five-frame nucleus colony are:
• All frames in the nucleus colony should be of good quality. Your nuc may have a mixture of wooden and plastic frames with natural or plastic foundation.
• It should contain at least three frames of brood of various ages.
• It should contain five frames covered with bees clinging to the frame surface.

● (4) Nucleus colonies can be created in a number of different ways. Sometimes the nucleus producer will pull frames of bees and resources from multiple colonies and add queen in a cage. Other times the queen in the colony is the mother of all of the bees in that colony. Some start nucs from packages of bees where they take the risks, and ensure the purchaser receives a good laying queen, with an organized colony before selling a fully operational nuc. Ask the seller, “How were these nucs made up? Was the brood in this colony laid by this queen? Are the bees in this nuc the offspring of this queen? Or were frames of brood, resources and the queen sourced from multiple hives?”

• Notes for the purchaser:
• If the queen in the colony is the mother of all the bees in the colony, then you will know how well she is laying based on the brood pattern in the nucleus colony and the temperament of the colony.
• If you purchase a colony containing a queen that is in a queen cage, she is a new introduction to the colony. Be sure to get instructions from the seller about how to install the nucleus colony into your full-sized woodenware to ensure the queen cage is properly positioned for the queen to be accepted by the colony. Sometimes caged queens are not accepted by the colony so be sure to ask the seller how they will get you a new queen to replace the queen if the caged queen is not accepted.
• If your queen appears undersized, and you are told to wait a few weeks so she will be easier to see, you have a colony with a virgin queen or a very young queen that just began to lay. Ask your nuc seller to provide instructions on how to know that your young queen is established and productive.

● (5) You may want to know more about the history and health of your queen. Ask your seller, “What is the background of this queen? When was she mated? How old is she? Is she marked to make her easier to see?” If your provider claims special provenance for their queens, ask for details.

● (6) You will want to know the history of any mite treatments the seller has performed on the nucleus colony (or on the mother colony from which the colony was made). Ask the seller, “What mite treatments have these bees received, if any, and when?”

● (7) Ideally your colony received a treatment in winter. Your colony may have also received a mite treatment in the spring. You will want to do a baseline mite count a few weeks after your nuc is established in your apiary.

● (8) You will need to know which date to expect your nucleus colony to be ready for pickup and whether you need to put down a deposit to reserve your nuc. Ask your nuc provider, “By what date can I expect to pick up my nuc?” Sometimes providers aren’t able to meet the deadline so ask about their refund policy. For example, if your nuc provider is unable to have your nucleus colony ready for pickup by May 21, you should be able to ask for a full refund.

● (9) You will need to plan for transport of your nucleus colony. Ask the seller, “What container will the nuc arrive in? Will you need to return the nuc box to the seller? Or will the seller provide delivery and installation of the nucleus colony at your hive upon request?”

● (10) There may be other things you will need to know for pickup of your nucleus colony. Ask the seller, “On pickup day, what do I need to bring to collect the nuc? Should I bring a veil? Are there any other things I should know or have prepared prior to collecting the nuc?”

This document is provided to start good conversations between sellers and purchases of nucleus colonies. May you be successful in growing your apiary.

Kim Mehalick
Debbie Hewitt