Mini-Plus Nucs

Improve your bee operation: 4 times more splits in summer. Successful nuc overwintering. Raise your own queens. Protect yourself against winter losses. Get more honey and more money.

"A weak or queenless hive is the single most greatest threat to a hives survivability than any other disease or pest" (David Burns).

Protect yourself through Mini-Plus nucs: Get your own reserve queens all-season long and help even your friends out with one.

Small and convenient:         

• Size is only 1ft by 1ft
• Half the length of a Medium Langstroth (Canadian Standard)
• Start a split with <1 lb of bees (other nuc boxes need 4 pounds) -> 4x more splits!
• 2 Hive bodies for overwintering purpose: Small area to heat, food is accessible
• Square form: represents the hollow of an old tree
• Works good for comb honey

High density polystyrene:    

• Good insulation: warm in winter, cool in summer
• Dry: Because no ventilation issues + dry walls
• Germ-resistant: Germs, bacteria and mould have a hard time on polystyrene, they just don`t go into it
• Almost no handling disadvantages compared to wood
• Clean hive bodies every 5 years with soda lye base (disinfection after foulbrood)

Fits the needs of the bees:

• Hive body system: Room to grow
• Hive can grow how you like it or to fit the needs of the queen (no artificial limitations through a closed system)
• The colony is fully functional: Independent mating nuc with bees, brood and feed

Early queens and nucs in spring:

• Strong hives in spring very essential (spring flowers)
• More hives for the early blueberry pollination or to sell early nucs
• Extra Mini-Plus bees can be used for weak hives, new hives for queen breeding
• Queens can replace failing queens of main hives

Well-established in Germany:

• Used by both: Hobby and professional beekeeper all over Germany and Europe (also Scandinavia=similiar to Canadian winters!)
• Research about Mini-Plus at the "Institute of Bee Health" of the University of Bern/Switzerland and the "Institute for Bee Research" in Oberursel/Germany
• The system has proven itself within the last 15 years.
• Brought winter losses down considerably
• The equipment and system was first successful tested in Canada during winter 2012/2013

Mini-Plus Hivetop feeder

An easy way to feed the right quantity of sugar in cool weather. The heat of the hive keeps the syrup warm. The bees are free to come up through the side entrance at anytime. Includes a acrylic glass cover to prevent the bees from drowning and easy feed control. Holds up to 2.5 litres. Guaranteed not to leak! See photo above.