Nuc versus package
Nuc, package, or split
A new Orlando colony starts as one of three things, and they are not the same animal. UF’s 4-H book Welcome to the Apiary draws the line between a nucleus hive and a package. Swarm Control for Managed Beehives adds the split: taking a working colony and making two. Prices live with the seller. Registration lives with FDACS.
A nuc is a small hive: three to five frames, bees in all stages, honey, pollen, and a laying queen.
Three ways a box fills
| Nuc | Package | Split | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What arrives | A small working colony on three to five frames, with stores and a laying queen. | About three pounds of bees, about 10,000 insects, with or without a queen, poured onto empty comb. | Frames of brood, bees, and stores taken from a strong hive you already keep, with a queen or with cells that will make one. |
| Household yet? | Yes, just short. | No. Comb still has to be drawn. | Yes, if the parent hive was healthy. |
| When it fits this year | Spring, as queens and nucs become available, the Florida Beekeeping Management Calendar March to April. | Same window, when packages ship. | Swarm season. Swarm Control for Managed Beehives: start prevention about four weeks before the main nectar flow. A split is space and a second queen in one move. |
| What to do the day it lands | Feed if light. Sample mites. Mark the FDACS firm number on the box. | Install onto drawn comb if you have it. Keep them fed while they build. Watch the queen. | Give both boxes room. Confirm eggs in each within a few days, or a cell that will hatch. |
How to choose
- Read Welcome to the Apiary on nuc versus package before you buy either.
- If you already have a strong hive heading into March, read Swarm Control for Managed Beehives on splits and swarm control.
- Register the result with FDACS. Colony count does not excuse a backyard hive.
- Sit the box by The Good Neighbor Guidelines: flyway, water, movable frames.
- Find a mentor at a club night. OBBA’s FAQ has put that step first.
Questions
Which is faster to a laying queen?
A nuc arrives with one. A package has to accept hers and draw comb. A split inherits brood; eggs in the new box tell you she is laying, or that the cell hatched.
Do you print 2026 prices here?
No list. Sellers change them. Buy from a person you can name, then register the colony.
Sources
- Welcome to the Apiary. Nuc versus package.
- Swarm Control for Managed Beehives. Splits as swarm control.
- FDACS Beekeeper Registration