What is an overwintered nucleus colony?
You might be hearing this a lot at the moment – you should start beekeeping with an overwintered colony of bees. In this blog, I am going to explain exactly what an overwintered colony of bees is, why they are good for starting you on your beekeeping journey, but also why the summer nucs might be a better idea for you if it’s your first year of beekeeping.
What is a nucleus colony?
Let’s start with the basics. A nucleus colony is at the heart of the every single thriving colony of bees. It’s made up off all of the components required to start a colony from scratch and SHOULD contain all of the following elements:
Mated Queen Bee: Without a properly mated queen bee, honey bees cannot survive. All nucleus colonies will contain a properly mated bee. She should be marked with the correct colour for the season and the beekeeper should ensure she is properly mated before sending your nucleus colony.
Brood In All Stages (BIAS): Brood in all stages is just a fancy way of saying eggs, larvae and pupae of differing ages. It’s the sign of a properly mated queen. You want to see nice cylindrical or oval shaped brood patterns, with no spotty brood patterns on any of the frames. You should expect at least 3-4 frames of BIAS in your nucleus colony.