What Is Best for a New Beekeeper, a Nuc or Package Bees?

Wait a second, if I become a beekeeper how do I get started? I have a thousand questions and no one to answer them. We are going to look at just ONE of the topics that plague new beekeepers and that is what do I need a package or a nuc of bees.

When my friend and business partner, and I, started off in beekeeping we were, I believe, ill advised. It was recommended to get packages. Knowing what I know now, this was a mistake. Today, I would say spend the extra money and get a nuc.

Option one, a nuc. What is a nuc? A nuc is a nucleus of a hive. A small colony of bees reduced from a standard eight or ten frame hive, placed in a smaller five frame box, with foundation. The nuc contains the queen, nurse bees, guard bees, drones, and workers. A nuc has a laying queen. A laying queen means eggs, eggs must be present so that the workers can feed and raise a queen cell, if something tragic befalls the queen, such as an injury. In this event, the workers choose an egg to raise as the new queen. It's quite an interesting process.

Option two the package. What is a package? In short, a box of bees that consists of a caged mated queen, and a few thousand worker bees. The caging of the queen isn't a barbaric practice, it's a way to keep the queen separate from the other bees who would try to kill her because they don't know who she is. She was placed in the cage, and in the package just before the package was shipped. As far as that goes, none of the bees in the package probably knew each other before they were shaken into the package. The way the bees get from their hives in the field, into the box known as the package is they are shaken from frames in large hives in the bee yard, into a funnel like apparatus then into the screened box known as a package. Once the proper weight of bees is in the box a can of sugar syrup is placed in the top of the box with the queen in a cage dangling down into the package secured by a piece of strapping. When removing this you have to be very careful not to drop the queen in her cage down into the mass of bees, or someone has to reach down into the bees and get the queen cage out. Why? You will probably get stung a few times while retrieving the queen cage. The queen in her cage is fragile and needs to be handled with care.

Packages are harder to install. Nucs can just be picked up from the bee farmer and transported to their home where they will immediately start gathering food to feed the colony. Packages take longer to establish once in the hive, hopefully the queen will be fine and start a good brood laying pattern. In a nuc this problem is alleviated because the beekeeper has the bees settled into a good climate when you pick them up. The beekeepers job with a package is to get the package into a nuc or honey hive for the "settling in" process to begin. Hopefully, if all goes well they "settle in" before to long and start to work together. In a nuc they are already working together when you pick the nuc up. They are a colony.

In conclusion I believe the nuc, while slightly more expensive, is better for the new beekeeper in the long haul over the package. There is a learning curve and the nuc is easier for the beginning beekeeper, the nuc is established, while the package is not. There are a lot more chances for failure with a package than a nuc!

HIVE a nice day!

Bed Bug Inspection: How to Prepare the Room for Bed Bug Inspection

If you have bed bugs at home an integrated pest management (IPM) approach is best to resolve the problem. Bed bugs are difficult pests to control. However, there are things you can do to deal with the problem prior to the application of treatment.

Once bed bugs are identified and confirmed in your home there are certain pre-treatment steps you must take. Preparing the room for bed bug inspection is essential for successful bed bug control.

A thorough inspection before any cleaning allows you to determine the extent of the problem. It prevents the disturbance and spread of bed bugs before the application of treatment.

Bed bug inspection checklist

a. Remove curtains and drapes from the window and place them in plastic bin bags and seal the bags tightly.

b. Remove all bedding, pillows and cases from the bed and place them into plastic bags. Seal the bags tightly before transporting them to the laundry room.

c. Empty drawers, closets, night stands, wardrobes and tables and place belongings into plastic bags. Seal the bags tightly.

d. Place clothing, coats and shoes into plastic bags. Seal the bags tightly before removing them to the laundry room.

e. Place all loose clothing (e.g. garments found outside the dresser) into plastic bags and launder as per laundry instructions below.

f. Remove all items from underneath the bed and on the floor and place them into plastic bin bags and seal the bags tightly.

g. Place all items that are not washable (e.g. plastic toys, books, electronics) into plastic bags for inspection and seal the bags tightly.

h. Remove all cloth and plush items, except plush furniture and place them into plastic bin bags and seal the bags tightly.

i. Remove and launder the pillows of plush furniture if possible.

j. Pull all furniture at least 18 inches away from the wall.

k. Remove outlet covers, switch plates on the wall, phone jack plates and light switch covers.

l. Remove all wall hangings (e.g. picture frames, mirrors) and clean and treat the items.

m. Remove television set from wall unit, if applicable. Keep all electrical equipment in the areas for treatment.

n. If heating or air conditioning units are near to the bed remove the front panel for inspection.

o. Undo carpets at the wall/floor junction. Do not remove the carpet from the room.

p. Remove all wall mounted items and place them into a plastic bag for inspection.

q. Remove electrical socket and switch plate covers.

r. Place books, magazines, notepads and files etc. into a bag for inspection.

s. Remove everything off the floor to permit thorough inspection.

t. Pets and humans must vacate the area during treatment and wait outside the area for at least 4 hours after treatment.

u. If you have fish tank in the house, cover it with a towel or plastic because it is extremely sensitive to pesticides.

v. Clean all clothing linen and other items and isolate them until the bed bug problem is resolved.

w. Ensure you have access to the bed, closet, all furniture and baseboard to inspect and treat them.

x. Pry baseboard away from the wall where possible.

y. Discard all plastic bags used to transport infested items into an outside garbage bin.

Laundry Directions

Launder all washable items (e.g. bedding, pillow cases, plush cushions etc.) in hot water (>60°C or 140°F [thermal death point rate]) and then place washed items into the dryer and set the temperature at the thermal death point rate for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Place the items into plastic bin bags after drying and seal the bags tightly. Keep all laundered items out of the infested room until the pest problem has been resolved.