National and Langstroth nucs use different frame standards and aren’t cross-compatible—pick the format that matches your hive.

Our nucs are £330 with Dorset delivery, nationwide next-day, or collection. Here’s what’s included and how delivery works.

Yes—nucs include a mated, laying queen already accepted by the colony, with brood and stores ready to expand.

Yes—nucs can be shipped using specialist packaging and next-day services. We assess weather and colony condition before dispatch.

In season, expect to transfer within weeks—move when frames are full and bees are drawing comb fast to avoid congestion and swarming.

Nucs are compact starter colonies; full hives are the complete setup for production and overwintering. Here’s how they compare.

The ideal UK window is spring to early summer. We release overwintered nucs from April, then spring nucs from May and summer nucs from June.

A 6-frame nuc gives one extra frame for brood and stores versus a 5-frame nuc—more headroom, less rush to transfer, and smoother early growth.