Is there any reason to use a nuc instead of a ten frame hive body when doing a split or if you capture a swarm? Is the reason for using 5 frame nuc is that is just cheaper, or takes less room up in the yard, or will the bees start off better in the smaller space for some reason?
Thanks in advance, David
A swarm is a very energetic clump of bees and as such less prone to pest invasion, however if there is a good quantity of unused space within a hive the pests will use that area to infest the hive. So the ideal is to give the bees no more area than they can defend. A large swarm might need a full box, a small one would do better in a nuc box until is built up a bit. Some larger swarms placed into a space too confinded for them will abscond. It's really a judgement call on the part of the beekeeper.
