Buying Bees? Poly vs Correx Nucs - Which One Should You Choose?
If you are buying bees, the choice of nuc box is crucial for the health and productivity of your bees. Two popular options among beekeepers looking to buy bees are poly (polystyrene) and correx (corrugated plastic) nuc boxes. Both serve the purpose of housing nucleus colonies, but they offer distinct benefits depending on your needs and goals. Let’s take a closer look at the advantages of each to help you make an informed decision when buying bees.
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Poly Nuc Boxes
Poly nuc boxes are a permanent apiary beehive made from expanded polystyrene (EPS), a sturdy, insulated material designed to retain heat, making them an excellent choice for colder climates, early-season splits or transit through the postal system.
Correx Nuc Boxes
Correx nuc boxes are a single use, transport solution, made from lightweight, corrugated plastic and are often used for short-term housing or transport.
Buying Bees: Benefits of Poly vs Correx Nuc Boxes
Superior Insulation: One of the standout features of poly nuc boxes is their superior insulation. Bees expend less energy regulating the temperature within the hive, especially during cold or unpredictable weather. This is particularly important when receiving an overwintered nuc, which might be sent when it still gets cold in the evening.
Buying bees in poly nucs allows the bees to maintain their temperature during the colder evenings prior to transfer into their full size hives. The superior insulation also allows the bees to effectively manage their temperature throughout transit without overheating. We no longer send bees in correx due to issues with overheating in the post.
Poly nucs are perfect for sending through the post Durability: Poly nucs are highly durable and resistant to weathering. They can withstand long-term exposure to the elements without degrading, which is perfect if you want a long-lasting hive that doesn’t require frequent replacement. When buying bees, this durability also makes a poly nuc the perfect container to send through the postal system. It's capable of absorbing any bumps and knocks without causing any issues to the bees or the postman/woman.
Lightweight Yet Sturdy: Though sturdy, poly nucs are lightweight, making them easy to transport when moving colonies or performing hive checks. Their structural integrity allows them to hold up well under the weight of bees, brood, and stores, plus makes it easy for Royal Mail delivery drivers.
Safer Transit: When buying bees through the post, the combination of superior insulation, durability and ventilation, makes poly nucs far superior to correx nucs in terms of their ability to withstand transit. We used to use correx nucs for deliveries but switched to poly (at great expense) after we realised correx nucs could suffer from overheating and impact damage. We just want the very best for our bees in the postal system. We screw our poly nucs lids down so there is no risk they can come off in transit. Correx nucs rely on sticky tape to ensure the bees do not escape whilst in transit.
We have our own dedicated collection from Royal Mail Sent In Their Own Boxes: An often overlooked benefit of buying bees in poly boxes is that you get to buy bees and have them sent in the same box that they overwintered in. This means the bees have naturally configured themselves to their environment and thus allows for a safer transit as the frames will be propolised together. When buying bees in correx nucs, they are often placed into the nucs just prior to collection and the lack of propolis sticking the frames together is a transit risk as the frames can bang together and squish the queen.
Ventilation In The Right Place: When buying bees, this should really be number one in the list. Poly boxes have the right amount of ventilation IN THE RIGHT PLACE (top and bottom). Heat rises, so having vents on the top and bottom provides the bees with the easiest possible way to cool themselves down in transit.
Having side vents, means the bees have to work against mother nature to cool themselves down sufficiently. If they fail to cool themselves down, the honey starts to melt and coats the bees wings, which means they no longer cool the hive. Within minutes the nuc collapses in on itself and all of the bees die. We have seen this on many occasions in correx nucs and its the reason we will not send our bees using correx nucs. Don't even get me started on the correx nucs that don't have proper mesh vents and just use holes. They are a death trap for BUYING bees!
Poly nuc ventilation where the bees need it most Stackable: Top and bottom ventilation isn't any use if the nucs aren't stackable. When buying bees from Black Mountain Honey, we only use nucs that are stackable with a top and bottom gap, to allow effective heat dissipation. Correx nucs are stackable but do not provide a ventilation gap. This means the bees can rapidly overheat as they have to deal with not only the ambient temperature but also the temperature of the bees stacked within the adjacent nuc boxes.
Six Frames vs Five Frames: A six frame nuc has 20% more frames vs a five frame nuc. That additional frame of brood will emerge within three weeks and convert into a further three frames of bees. Looking for a bumper honey crop or want to make early season splits from your nucs? The six frame option provides you with LOTS more bees and brood so early in the season and means you are potentially weeks ahead of receiving a five frame nuc at the same time of the year. Keep this in mind when comparing prices for six frame nucs versus five frame nucs.
Six frames nucs are MUCH better value for beekeepers Higher Value For Beekeeper: When buying bees, not all nucs are made equal! At Black Mountain Honey, we only use UK mated F1 Buckfast Queens in our nucs. We only sell six frame nucs (as opposed to 5 frame) and every single frame in that nuc is less than 12 months old. Many nuc sellers will sell you F2, F3 or mongrel bees on horrible old black frames. Yuk!
But back to the nuc boxes, we only sell our nucs in poly nuc boxes that are worth up to £75 each. The cost of this is included in the sale of the nuc and you get to keep the box, which is a VERY valuable asset in your apiary (see below). Correx nucs on the other hand, cost around £10 each and are only used for transit and then usually discarded. A poly nuc box gives you an additional £65 worth of value compared to a correx nuc, just in the raw materials alone, not to mention to numerous benefits for the bees in transit.
Includes Feeder: This one is SUPER important when buying bees, especially overwintered nucs. When you buy bees, always insist that the poly nuc box includes a feeder, or else you are forced to transfer the bees into a new beehive immediately upon arrival, as bees cannot remain in the apiary within a correx box (when night temperatures are cold).
If you are forced to move the bees into a less thermally efficient hive upon arrival, its highly disruptive for the bees and it will stunt their growth, as they won't be able to regulate their temperature as well. Even if the hive they are moving into is thermally efficient, they will not fill the box and this just makes it really hard work for the bees. Having your bees sent in an insulated nuc with a feeder gives you time to ensure that you can transfer your bees at the right time with minimal disruption (see below).
Insist your nuc arrives with a feeder No Need To Transfer Immediately: Buy ensuring you buy bees in a poly nuc, once delivered, they can remain in the poly nuc for a few weeks until the weather allows a suitable transfer. If they need feeding in this time, the bees are ALREADY set up and ready to feed, plus the bees are fully aware of how to access the feeder. We only send nucs with the feeders included as it means the bees get the very best start within their new apiaries and it makes it so much easier for new beekeepers to avoid any mistakes.
Great For Making Splits: Once you finally transfer your bees into their new beehive, the poly nuc box becomes an incredibly useful asset within the apiary, as opposed to something that will be discarded. It can be used to capture swarms and make your own nucleus colony splits for overwintering. It's far more useful, practical and sustainable that it's correx counterpart which is generally discarded once the colony is transferred into a beehive.
Poly nucs are great for swarm management and splits Reusable and Recyclable: The poly nuc boxes we use to send our bees are fully reusable and if you take care of them will easily last 30-40 years, at which time they can be safely recycled into new polystyrene products!
Greater Flexibility: Most poly nucs offer extension boxes, supers and queen excluders so you can turn your nucleus into a mini beehive and save on the cost full size equipment. I prefer to use them for brood rearing in the apiaries and of course to overwinter nucleus colonies.
Catching a swarm in a poly nuc
Buy Bees: Benefits of Correx Nuc Boxes
Cost-Effective: Correx boxes are highly affordable, making them an excellent choice for nuc sellers who are looking to maximise their profit. Not so good for the beekeepers who are receiving the nuc! We made much more money per nuc when we sold the nucs in correx, but we know moving over to poly nucs was the best decision for both the bees and our customers! Poly nuc boxes are much more expensive than their correx counterpart but the cost of this included within the price of nuc from Black Mountain Honey, so provides greater value to the beekeeper. When buying bees, take this into account as you are receiving a valuable asset along with your bees. Something that can be used again and again!
Portable: Correx nucs are extremely lightweight, making them easy to transport. This makes them a popular option for beekeepers who are limited on storage space. Their lightweight construction also makes them convenient for short-term uses like swarm catching or temporary housing during hive inspections.
Space-Saving Design: These boxes often come in flat-packed designs, allowing for easy storage when not in use. For beekeepers who need additional nuc boxes on short notice, this can be a handy feature.
Correx nuc full of bees
Buying Bees: Which One Should You Choose?
When deciding between poly and correx nuc boxes for buying bees, poly nucs offer several advantages that make them a superior choice, particularly in terms of insulation. Poly nucs, made from expanded polystyrene (EPS), provide excellent temperature regulation, which is critical when transporting bees through the postal system. Bees in poly nucs expend less energy maintaining hive temperatures, especially during cold nights, preventing them from overheating in transit, a common issue with correx boxes. Poly nucs are also safer during transit as they are sturdy enough to withstand bumps and knocks, ensuring the bees remain unharmed.
Poly nuc boxes are also highly durable and long-lasting. Unlike correx, which is typically a single-use option for short-term housing or transport, poly nucs can be reused for years, making them a valuable investment. They withstand various weather conditions without degrading, providing consistent protection for the bees. Additionally, these boxes come equipped with proper ventilation, which helps bees regulate their internal hive temperatures more effectively through transit. Correx boxes, by comparison, often lack adequate ventilation and are prone to overheating, which can be damaging or even fatal for bees.
Another key benefit of poly nucs is their versatility. They are stackable, include feeders, and come with six frames instead of the typical five, providing more brood space, which accelerates colony growth. This feature, along with their reusability and durability, makes poly nuc boxes not only a better investment for the beekeeper but also a more sustainable and practical choice for long-term apiary use. In contrast, correx nucs, though lightweight and cost-effective, are usually discarded after use and do not offer the same value or benefits as poly boxes.
We switched to poly nucs for transit around two years ago and as a result feel we are doing our very best for the bees and our customers by providing the safest method of transit, in addition to a valuable asset, that can be used within the apiary for years into the future.
If you want to see how we make up our overwintered nucs for sale each year, check out our latest blog below:
For help on looking after your bees once they are delivered, check out our detailed guide:
If you are interested in buying bees from Black Mountain Honey, you can reserve your nucleus colonies on the following page - https://www.blackmountainhoney.co.uk/bee-nucs-for-sale
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