Beekeeping is so different from other forms of farming. It’s a lot more forgiving. It’s a lot more easy-going. It’s a lot more laid back.
But that’s only if you do it right.
There is one little thing that the 95% of beekeepers who fail within the first 2 years get wrong. I’ll tell you what it is, but first, let’s take a look at the two different ways to start a new beehive.
The Two Different Ways
The first way is to use a bee nuc, which is short for nucleus hive. This is by far the easiest way to get started.
A bee nuc is a miniature beehive with about 5 frames inside, which is about a third to a quarter the number of frames that a full size hive has. It’s like a starter kit for beekeeping that’s perfect for beginners.
The second way is to use a package of bees. A package of bees is just a box of bees. It’s got no hive, no frames, no nothing. Just bees.
So, when you start a new hive using a package of bees, you need a separate hive to move them into.
That’s already one extra step you have to take. You also have to feed a package of bees for about a week until they’ve built enough comb to store food in.
Why Bee Nucs Are Easier
Bees have a very specific way in which they like to build their combs. It’s called “bee space,” and it’s about 3/8 of an inch to 1/4 of an inch, which is about a bee’s width of space.
If you have any less space than that between things, the bees will fill it with wax. If you have any more space than that, they’ll fill it with burr comb, or “wild comb,” as it’s sometimes called.
Wild comb is comb that is built in places where you don’t want it to be. It’s always a pain to remove, and you have to remove it or else you’ll end up with a mess of cross comb and impossible-to-inspect frames.
That means that if you start a new beehive with a package of bees, you’ll need to put in either some drawn comb or some wax foundation in order to direct the bees into building their comb in the right place.
Drawn comb is comb that has already been built by bees, and is designed to be reusable. You can buy it, but it’s more expensive than wax foundation, which is what you’d use if you start off with a bee nuc.
Wax foundation is just a sheet of beeswax that has the hexagonal shape of a bee’s comb embossed into it. The bees will start to build their comb from the wax foundation, and that’s that.
Well, not quite.
With wax foundation, there’s always a chance that the bees will go a bit off course and build their comb not quite where you want it.
It’s better than using a package of bees, but it’s not as good as using drawn comb. There is, however, a middle ground.
The Middle Ground
The middle ground, if you’re going the package of bees route, is to use foundationless frames.
These are frames that have no foundation in them whatsoever. You just put the bare frames in your hive as you would with any other frames, and the bees will start building comb from the top bar down.
The advantage of using foundationless frames is that you end up with natural comb. The bees will build their comb as they see fit. They don’t have to stick to the hexagonal shape that’s embossed into wax foundation.
Natural comb is a lot better than comb that’s been built from wax foundation, because it’s stronger, and because it’s been built by the bees in a way that suits them.
When you use foundationless frames, you avoid most of the pitfalls of using wax foundation, but you still have to check every now and then that the bees aren’t veering off course with their comb-building. If they are, you’ll have to correct it manually.
That’s not too much of a problem, but it’s worth mentioning.
Recap
Using a bee nuc is by far the easiest way to start a new hive. You get everything you need, and you can just take care of the bees. You don’t have to worry about all the stuff that’s extra to beekeeping, like building your own hive or making sure you’re doing everything exactly right.
Using a package of bees is the next best option. It’s more hands-on, but it’s still easy enough to do.
The middle ground is foundationless frames. If you’re using a package of bees, then using foundationless frames will give you the benefit of natural comb. That’s not bad at all.
If you’re using a bee nuc, then there’s not much point in using foundationless frames. You’d be better off just letting the bees build their own comb from the wax foundation that’s already in the frames that come with the bee nuc.
The only time where using foundationless frames would make sense with a bee nuc is if you want all-natural foundation instead of the wax foundation that comes with the bee nuc. You’d install the bare foundationless frames in place of the ones that come with the bee nuc, and let the bees do their thing.
That’s a pretty advanced technique, and if you’re a beginner, I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s really not necessary at all.