A “nuc” (short for nucleus colony) in beekeeping is a small but complete and functional honey bee colony. It’s essentially a mini-hive designed to start a new colony quickly and successfully.What typically comes in a nuc?A standard nuc (most commonly a 5-frame nuc) usually includes:

• A laying queen (already accepted by the bees)
• Several thousand worker bees
• Brood (eggs, larvae, and capped pupae) in all stages of development
• Frames with honey and pollen stores
• Drawn comb (beeswax comb the bees have already built)

These are housed in a smaller box (nuc box) that’s narrower than a full-size beehive but often uses the same frame size (usually 4–6 frames total, with 5 being the most popular).Why are nucs popular?They’re one of the best ways for new beekeepers to start a hive because:

• The colony is already established and working together as a family unit
• There’s no risk of the bees rejecting the queen (unlike with package bees + a caged queen)
• Growth is much faster since brood is already present
• They often come from healthy, proven colonies

Nucs are also used by experienced beekeepers to:

• Prevent swarming (by making controlled splits)
• Expand apiaries
• Raise queens
• Serve as backup/insurance colonies