Five Frame Nucleus FAQ

A nucleus colony, or nuc, is a small, complete honey bee colony made up of a laying queen, worker bees, and brood in all stages (eggs, larvae, sealed brood), along with stored honey and pollen. It’s designed to be a starter colony that can be transferred directly into a full-sized hive. Nucs provide a strong foundation because they already contain a balanced population and an established queen.

All of our 5 & 6 frame nucs are produced here on our family-run bee farm in Warwickshire, using our own healthy bees and a combination of queens from our UK breeding stock and select imports from an experienced EU breeder we’ve worked with for many years. Each nuc is built on British Standard National DN4 frames and supplied in either a polystyrene nuc box or temporary correx travel box. Every colony is inspected regularly and produced in accordance with NBU guidelines and UK legislation, ensuring it’s healthy, disease-free, and ready to thrive.'t.

Each nuc is carefully balanced for a strong start and includes: A mated, marked Buckfast queen (from our UK programme or our trusted EU partner) 3–4 frames of brood in all stages 1 frame of stores (pollen & honey) Thousands of healthy worker bees A clean, ventilated travel box Nucs are treated for varroa using VMD-approved products as part of an IPM approach. Every colony is checked before sale to meet our standards.

We use both UK-bred and imported queens in our nucs. All queens come from high-quality Buckfast breeding stock developed through our own programme and in collaboration with an experienced EU breeder we’ve worked with for many years. We don’t favour one source over the other — queens are selected for calm temperament, strong brood patterns, disease resistance, and productivity.

Overwintered nucs: Early–mid April (weather permitting), Seasonal nucs: May & June, Seasonal nucs with UK-raised queens: Late May–early June All nucs are collection only from our Warwickshire bee farm. Collections typically start from 6:00am to keep bees cool and minimise time closed in travel boxes. We’ll contact you to confirm your date.

Bring ratchet straps or strong bungees to secure the box. Keep bees cool, upright, ventilated, and out of direct sunlight during transit. Drive steadily and handle gently to keep the colony calm.

For bee welfare, we do not send nucs by courier/post. Short, controlled transport with a planned collection is safer and less stressful. Collection also lets you speak to us directly before you head home.

Place the nuc on the hive stand where your full-size hive will sit, with the entrance facing the same direction the hive entrance will face. This helps the bees orientate to the exact location they’ll use after transfer. Open the entrance and let the bees fly and orientate for a couple of hours. Once they’re working happily, transfer the frames to your hive in the same order, ensuring the queen is safely moved. Feed sugar syrup if forage is limited or weather is poor.

At minimum: Complete National hive (DN4-compatible), Bee suit/jacket, gloves, smoker, Hive tool, Feeder & syrup. Stable, level hive stand in a sheltered, sunny spot ideally south facing. Keep spare frames/foundation ready for growth. We stock all essentials and are happy to advise.

A £70 non-refundable booking fee secures your order. Once all nucs of a particular type are reserved, the booking fee becomes non-refundable. If you cancel before that nuc type sells out, we can refund the fee; after allocation, cancellations aren’t refundable due to health/traceability constraints.

If we can’t reach you by phone/email, your order moves to the bottom of the list until we rearrange. Please provide a valid phone and email. Orders not collected within the agreed window may be cancelled and booking fees forfeited.

We operate under our Sale of Live Bees Policy and comply fully with NBU guidelines. Colonies are regularly inspected for AFB, EFB, and varroa. We use VMD-approved treatments within an IPM framework and breed from strong, healthy colonies.

Yes — every production colony and nucleus is inspected pre-sale and certified free from notifiable diseases. We maintain full traceability records as required by the NBU.

Each nuc includes a mated, marked queen (UK or EU partner). Expect a steady brood pattern, calm temperament, and strong build-up. A short settling period after installation is normal. We’re on hand with advice if needed.

Yes — we can supply individual or bulk nucs (hobbyists, bee farmers, education). Please contact us to discuss availability, lead times, and collection. Orders are fulfilled first-come, first-served each season.

No — once a nucleus colony has left our site, we cannot accept it back under any circumstances. This is to protect the health of our livestock and prevent the possible introduction of pests or diseases into our apiaries. All colonies are inspected and confirmed healthy before collection, and ownership transfers at the point you take the bees away. If you have any concerns after collection, please contact us — we’ll always offer guidance and support, but the bees themselves cannot be returned.

See our full Sale of Live Bees Policy for details on legislation and welfare. We also recommend: National Bee Unit (NBU) Healthy Bees Plan Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD)