package vs nuc
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package
PACKAGE BEES are pretty much exactly what the name implies: Generally, 2-3 pounds of bees are scooped-out of a hive, to which a caged queen (newly mated & raised separately) has been added. They're boxed in a disposable cardboard or thin-wood ventilated box with liquid feed (usually sugar syrup), and shipped to you. Upon arrival, you must quickly transfer the bees to a permanent 'nuc' or hive box you've prepared, using frames of wax or plastic foundation so they can begin building honeycomb. Once built, your bees can start collecting nectar & pollen, laying eggs, raising brood, and eventually making honey. On the upside, packaged bees can be used in any kind of hive you provide (Langstroth, top-bar, etc.), are often less-expensive, and sometimes are a beekeeper's only alternative. However, they also present significant risk for all but the experienced beekeeper.
After getting your package bees into a nuc or hive box, your next task is to properly introduce the queen to the colony without them killing her. Sometimes, the package has been in transit long enough for the colony to get used to the queen and will more-easily accept her by the time it reaches you, but if not, several methods can be used to introduce the queen and reduce the risk of killing her. Once the queen has been accepted by the colony, your bees must begin the process of finding resources (nectar & pollen) and building comb. This is the highest-risk period for the beekeeper since the colony has no stored resources or brood in the hive yet, and they will often abscond (simply leave the hive). Providing temporary food for the colony while they adjust and begin building comb can reduce the risk a little, as can the use of wax (versus plastic) foundation, but even then, neither is foolproof. Another downside of package bees is the virtual certainty you won't be able to harvest honey the first year, since the colony is essentially starting from “scratch". Package bees must first produce wax comb, then when built-out enough, they can begin filling it with resources and the queen can begin laying eggs. It will then take several more weeks before eggs hatch and new brood mature-enough to begin foraging, often well past the peak of spring honey flow.
nuc
A 'NUC' in comparison, (short for Nucleus Hive) is a small version of a hive, and a complete colony. A nuc box will contain frames with built-out comb containing food resources (nectar, pollen, and honey), eggs, larva, worker bees, drones, and an actively-laying queen that sometimes (but not always) belong to the same colony. Nuc configurations vary widely, but are generally sold in disposable cardboard, plastic or wood boxes, and contain 4-5 frames. Some nucs can be placed directly in the field upon arrival (most cannot), but regardless, you'll eventually want to move frames from the nuc into larger hive boxes at some point. This makes the transition from nucs much smoother than package bees, since the colony is left essentially intact as you simply move frames from the nuc to the hive and add more frames (or additional boxes, usually honey supers) for the colony to expand. The single biggest advantage of nucs versus package bees, however, is nuc colonies are in full production virtually the very first day they're placed, often resulting in harvestable honey the very first year, depending how early they're placed and forage available to them.
Risks associated with nucs versus package bees are significantly-reduced as well: The queen and bees already belong to the same colony (family), so there's no fear of them killing her. More-importantly perhaps, is the risk of bees absconding is almost zero since the entire colony is already 'invested' with their brood and food resources already in the hive. The queen's pheromones (method by which bees know which hive is theirs) are already part of entire environment (including frame & comb) so bees are much-less likely to leave their home (the nuc box or the hive you move them into. It's always a good idea to temporarily feed the colony for a few days after any move to a new location or different box, so regardless if you use the hive or nuc in the field, you should make sure it incorporates a method of feeding them.
BestNucs.com sells only nucs and fully-populated hives because we believe in their clear superiority to package bees. However, you have several sources of nucs and beehives available to you, so please click-through to learn why you may want to consider BestNucs.com as your preferred supplier. Click the button below to find out what makes us the BestNucs.