Mini mating nuc APIDEA®

🔧 Brown polystyrene, 2 cm thick

Body and lid in thick insulated polystyrene that buffers thermal swings and reduces condensation. In a cube as small as an APIDEA®, insulation is decisive: any sudden rise or drop compromises nurse bee development and the virgin queen's mating flight.

📐 11×11×11 cm cube with 3 mini frames

An 11 × 11 × 11 cm cube, one of the most compact formats on the market. Includes 3 model-specific APIDEA® plastic mini frames for foundation. Nurse bees draw wax quickly on the reduced format and the queen has enough surface to start laying after the mating flight.

⚙️ Front feeder with queen excluder and clear inner cover

Independent feeder compartment at the front, with queen excluder grid that stops bees from building comb inside. The clear inner cover has a specific opening to insert the queen cell without opening the nuc — the batch is not chilled or disturbed during the most delicate operation, and you can monitor the start-up visually without disturbing the bees.

🔄 Multi-position entrance, double ventilation and sliding floor

Sliding multi-position entrance: closed when introducing bees and queen, ventilated for transport, open for mating. Ventilation grids at the front and bottom, suitable for water spraying to keep interior humidity. Removable sliding floor to fill the unit with nurse bees, integrate the mini nuc into a queenless hive or clean between cycles.

⚠️ Important about mating: the APIDEA® is a management tool, it does not guarantee mating. Success depends on enough young nurse bees (~100 g), reserves in the feeder, mature drones available, favourable weather (~20 °C, clear sky, low wind) and unit health. Spraying water on the grid during the first days helps anchor the bees and keep humidity. Planning drone rearing about 5 weeks ahead is key.