Queen Mating Nuc Made of High-Density Polystyrene

01 · THE MATERIAL

120 kg/m³: insulates more and takes the hive tool

120 kg/m³ polystyrene is two to two and a half times denser than that of standard mini nucs. In a volume of a litre and a half that decides two things: that a cold spring night does not chill the brood and the nurses do not abscond, and that the body does not chip when levered with the hive tool or scraped of propolis, season after season. Scrape cold and flat; no solvents.

02 · THE FRAMES

Four, with plastic starter comb

Four plastic mini frames with a piece of plastic comb already fitted so the bees draw wax at once: one frame more than a Kieler or an APIDEA (741) in the same 24 × 15 × 17 footprint. Start with about 100 g of young nurses, the feeder full and the entrance closed for a day or two in the shade before opening. For the Mini Plus format, with 217 × 160 half frames that go into the Dadant Blatt half super, there are 2553, 2301 and 1523.

03 · ENTRANCE AND VENTILATION

Four-position disc and two grilles

The entrance is a rotating four-position disc: bees, queen only, drones or closed, for introduction, mating and transport without changing parts. Ventilation is double and adjustable, a sliding grille in the floor and a front slider, to avoid condensation in damp areas and suffocation in hot transport.

04 · THE FEEDER

Rear, with excluder and steps

The feeding chamber sits at the rear, separated by a queen excluder that stops the bees building comb inside, with steps and fine mesh to reach the syrup without drowning, the typical failure of flat feeders. It is refilled from behind without touching the brood: little and often, as a mini nuc gets robbed over nothing.

05 · WHAT IT DOES NOT GUARANTEE

Mating is down to the drones and the weather

It is a management tool, not a guarantee: mating depends on enough young nurses, syrup in the feeder, mature drones planned about five weeks ahead, flying weather (about 20 °C, clear, little wind) and varroa control before adding bees. The insulation removes failure by cold; the rest is down to the calendar.

06 · BEFORE YOU BUY

The mini nuc is supplied complete with its four frames; bees, queen or queen cell and syrup come separately.