Package vs. Nuc… what should I get? What’s the difference?
The two most common ways to start a new beehive is by buying either a package or a nuc. You can be successful with both, but there are substantial differences.
A package is just a box of bees (3lbs, about 10,000), a caged newly-mated queen, and a can of syrup. That’s it. They are assembled from multiple hives so will not all be related to each other or to the queen. Once installed, they’re going to have to start from scratch, drawing comb before the queen can even start laying. You WILL have to feed them heavily. It will probably be at least a few days before the queen can start laying, and at least 3 weeks before you can expect your first new bees to emerge.
A nucleus colony or “nuc” is much better-developed, basically an established and well-organized mini colony. They will normally have 5 frames of drawn comb, some stores of honey and pollen, an actively-laying queen, and brood in all stages.
Packages are easy to prepare, so huge numbers are made for sale to new keepers. Nucs can sell out quickly, while packages are much more readily available. They can also be assembled early in the season, shortly after bees come out of winter. Mites prefer bee larvae; so a package should have few mites, and can be treated very effectively with oxalic acid vapor when there is no brood present; many vendors will already do so, but if not it’s easy and inexpensive to do yourself. Finally, because nothing is being transferred but a pile of bees, they can be installed into any kind of hive (Langstroth, top bar, Warre, whatever).
But… also consider that a package is starting from absolute zero. They have to draw comb before the queen can start laying even after she’s released from her cage, while wax is expensive and they also have no food stores. You WILL have to feed them constantly for quite some time, both sugar syrup and pollen patties. Once that queen does start laying… she’ll be brand new at it. She may be poorly-mated or otherwise low quality. Even if she seems fine to you, for reasons that are not totally clear (but probably because they are not genetically related to her), it’s very common for the bees to “supersede” the queen… that is, murder and replace her. And that’s fine, they’ll raise a perfectly good new one; but that’s another several weeks where your tiny colony is not building up with more brood. Finally, because they have nothing invested in their new home yet, they may decide to simply all leave and take their chances elsewhere (or “absond”). It’s not terribly common but does happen from time to time.
A nuc is going to get off to a MUCH faster and stronger start than a package. They have a bunch of comb drawn and ready for use, good food stores, and the queen is already accepted and actively laying well. They are more self-sufficient and will expand rapidly, though in most cases you’ll still want to feed them at least until they establish a good foraging force. You’ll have new bees emerging daily, and because of the presence of brood they are extremely unlikely to abscond.
You should expect to pay around 30% more for a nuc than a package. They will also normally be available about a month later in the season, as vendors need time to get them strong and well-established. Again, most reputable vendors should be supplying nucs that have been treated and are reasonably low on mites, but if you do need to treat there are extra complications from the presence of capped brood. Finally, they are also only appropriate for a hive that accommodates deep Langstroth frames (if you’re in america).
In almost all cases, a new keeper will have a much better experience starting from a nuc. The extra money and patience represent a good investment… even starting a month later, a nuc should expand to a much stronger colony in their first year than an equivalent package. If nothing else, you know you’re getting a strong queen, as vendors will have weeded out weak or poorly-mated ones while establishing their nucs. Nucs are stimply a stronger unit and more forgiving of the common newbie learning curve. The only inherent drawback is that you may encounter a higher mite load sooner… but you’re going to have to learn how to manage mites before long in any case.
To be clear, there’s no “bad” choice. You absolutely can be successful with a package, and plenty of people are. In some cases the’re the ONLY option. They just need a lot more TLC and come with an inherently higher failure rate, but balance the pros and cons to decide what’s right for your situation.
TODO: installation of nuc and package