Originally, I wanted to order two nucs. I emailed a few people about their nucs-- Where do they get their queens? Can they accommodate an all medium super setup? Do they treat for mites before handing off the nucs? Price?
Robert Steffes had five (out of seven) nucs left at $150. He gets his queens from Steve Respasky, local master beekeeper. Best of all, he said he could give me medium frames for my setup. No pesticide treatment beforehand.
$150 seemed a little steep compared to Kopar Honey Farm's $105 per nuc, but Kopar couldn't give me medium frames unless I provided the equipment. And then, the nucs wouldn't be ready until June. They do offer packages at $80, and so I bought one of those. Mainly due to cost, I didn't get a second nuc from Robert. Partially though, I want to try out Kopar's queens. Apparently, they have Minnesota hygienics, which are fairly popular for their supposed Varroa mite resistance.
In hindsight, it might be better that I didn't get two nucs. I would have had to install them at the same time, thrust myself into the fire instead of the frying pan. Hopefully, though, both the nuc and the package will provide honey this summer.
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