Summer is Here!

Summer is definitely here in the South. The temperature is now soaring in the upper 90s and there is sweetness in the air. Today the temperature was a very hot 101F. The Chinese Tallow trees were in full bloom last month giving our honeybees the much needed nectar. Just yesterday we saw Red Vine beginning to bloom at our river location.

The bee yards have been busy with activity. Last month, we held our second nuc pickup for the year with one more set for June. Many people ask, "What is a nuc?"  A Nuc is a Nucleus Hive, which is a fully functional hive with a Laying Queen, Capped Brood, Uncapped Brood, Eggs, Honey and Pollen. The difference between it and a full size hive is merely the different number of frames in the box. 
 

Nuc’s offer a distinct advantage over package bees in that the Nuc is a functional hive with all stages of Brood Development with Comb and stores already available which is also headed up by a queen who is the mother of the bees in the colony.  A package typically has a queen which was placed into the package at the time of packaging and its not the mother of the bees in the package.  She could be rejected by the bees or not have a good brood laying patter (i. e. unhealthy or poorly mated).

Will I get honey the first year? It is possible to get a small honey crop (your first year) from a Nuc hive which is picked up in early Spring.  However, it is almost never possible to get a honey crop from a package of bees for a beginning beekeeper.

So, if beekeeping is in your future, contact us and we will help you on your way.  Happy Beekeeping and Stay COOL!