5-Frames or 11-Frames?

You can choose between a 5-frame hive, also know as a ‘nuc’ or ‘nucleus hive’, or an 11-frame hive, which is considered a ‘full’ hive.

A nuc (5-frames) contains the bare minimum to get you started, with less brood and honey than a full hive - a great option for new beekeepers whom still need to learn about the expansion of the brood nest, as this will give you time to prepare for colony growth.

A full hive (11-frames) has everything required to make honey THIS YEAR, and is perfect for those with more experience looking to expand their apiary.

Frame Transfer, Corex Box, or Wooden Hive?

If you already have an empty hive (the house for your colony), you can choose the frame transfer option. Bring your empty hive with you when you come to collect and we will transfer the frames of bees into it. If you don’t want to bring your empty hive with you, we can provide a corex box to transport your frames home in. This option is good if you are worried about ventilation and containment in your own hive during transportation, but NOTE: this option is only available for 5-frame nucs and the corex box is only suitable for transporting the bees so please transfer them into your own empty hive as soon as possible.

If you don’t have an empty hive you can choose to buy your frames in one of our wooden hives. Our hives are full depth 11-frame bodies made from redwood and marine ply and have 2 coats of shed paint, as well as stainless steal entrance adapters and stainless steal rooves. So your hive will last as long as possible in the outdoors. When you purchase a 5-frame nuc in a wooden hive, this includes 6 undrawn wax frames to fill the gap.