Mating Nuc Box
Lexikon
A mating nuc box is a very small hive in which a young queen is kept until mating and the start of egg laying.
A mating nuc box is a very small hive in which a young queen is kept until mating and the start of egg laying. It is stocked with young bees, fondant and either an unmated queen or a queen cell ready to emerge.
Several designs are common. The single-comb box holds one single small comb, the Apidea and Apida systems work with three small frames, and Mini Plus is a full-fledged small-hive system with stackable boxes. For the amount of bees needed, the Veitshöchheim Institute for Apiculture cites about a quarter liter for a single-comb box and a fully occupied box for Mini Plus.
If the queen is to be mated at a mating station, additional requirements apply. The unit must be drone-free or carry a queen excluder at the entrance or inside the box, so that no drones of its own fly out with it. Mating stations also require information on the breeder, a health certificate and the number of deliveries.
Mating nuc boxes are labor-intensive. They have hardly any reserves, starve quickly, are prone to robbing and must be put to use promptly after mating.