2 Frame Queen Rearing Nuc — Deep, Standard Langstroth
A narrow two-frame deep nuc box built specifically for queen rearing — small enough for a starter or mating colony, sized for standard Langstroth deep frames so it fits into your existing equipment without surprises. Made in-house at Blythewood Bee Company.
Features
- Holds two standard Langstroth deep frames (9 1/8")
- Narrow profile keeps the cluster tight — easier for a small colony to defend and thermoregulate
- Sized to work alongside any 10 or 8 frame Langstroth equipment you already run
- Available assembled or unassembled (DIY save)
- Solid wood construction, made in South Carolina by BBC
How it works (in real life)
A 2 frame nuc is the workhorse box for raising and mating queens. You pull a frame of brood and nurse bees from a strong donor colony, add a frame of honey and pollen for resources, introduce a ripe queen cell (or let the bees draw their own from young brood), close it up, and walk away for about three weeks. The narrow footprint matters here — a small starter colony in a wide box wastes energy fighting cold dead space, while a snug 2-frame box stays warm, focused, and defensible.
Once the new queen has emerged, taken her mating flights, and started laying, you've got options: move her into a production hive, use the nuc as a backup queen bank, split it again, or build it up into a 5-frame nuc with a wider box.
Before you order
- Assembled vs Unassembled: Assembled ships ready to use straight from the box. Unassembled ships flat in pre-cut pieces with fasteners — light carpentry, a hammer, and 5–10 minutes get it together. Save $10 by assembling yourself.
- Frames not included. Add two 9 1/8" deep frames (your choice of foundation) to populate the box.
- Top cover and bottom board not included. The box body is what's in the listing — you supply or pair with the appropriate cover and base.
- Best results come from running this during warm-weather queen-rearing season when drones are flying.
Pairs Well With
- Plastic Queen Cage - Flip Top — for introducing a mated queen into the starter colony
- Queen Cage / Roller Cage — alternative queen cage for marking or holding queens
- 5 Frame Nuc Box Beehive Kit — natural step up once the colony outgrows the 2-frame
Specifications
- Frame capacity: 2 standard Langstroth deep frames (9 1/8")
- Construction: solid wood, made in South Carolina by Blythewood Bee Company
- Assembled weight: 11 lb
- Unassembled weight: 10.5 lb (flat-pack)
- Variants: Assembled or Unassembled
Queen Rearing Workflow with This Nuc
For beekeepers new to queen rearing, here's the typical sequence:
- Pick a strong donor colony. Calm temperament, good brood pattern, good genetics. This is where your queen quality comes from.
- Pull one frame of brood. Eggs, capped brood, and nurse bees — make sure the donor queen is NOT on the frame.
- Pull one food frame. Honey on one side, pollen ideally on the other. The small colony will need resources to feed cells and the emerging queen.
- Introduce a queen cell (grafted or pulled from a swarm impulse) — or let the bees draw an emergency queen from the eggs on the brood frame.
- Reduce the entrance. A small colony needs help defending against robbing.
- Leave it alone for 3 weeks. The queen needs to emerge, harden, mate, and start laying. Inspections during this window can interrupt the process — be patient.
- Check for eggs around day 19–21. Eggs and consistent young brood mean she's mated and laying. No eggs by day 28 usually means failed mating — start over.
- Use the new queen. Transfer to a production hive, use in a split, or hold in the nuc as a backup.
Keep inspections short and gentle. A newly mated queen can be twitchy on the comb — don't give her reason to fly.
FAQ
Is this a baby/mini mating nuc?
No. This is a deep 2-frame nuc using standard Langstroth frames, not a foam or plastic baby nuc. Frames you raise here transfer directly into your regular equipment.
What do I need besides the box?
Two standard 9 1/8" deep frames (any foundation type), a top cover, and a bottom board. The box body is what's in this listing.
Assembled or Unassembled — which should I get?
Unassembled saves $10 and goes together in well under 15 minutes with a hammer. Assembled is the right choice if you want to skip the assembly step entirely or don't have basic woodworking tools.
Can I use it for emergency queens?
Yes — it's well-suited for emergency queens, grafted cells, walk-away splits, or holding a backup queen.
How many queens can I produce per season?
Plenty of beekeepers run several of these in rotation. One customer reports running eight at a time and never running out of mated queens.
