> I had taken one of those styrofoam nuc boxes to get the nuc...  the
styrofoam nuc couldn't support
> all the bees inside and they suffocated, overheated and died....

This same scenario is playing out to quite a few buyers/sellers.  The
styrofoam boxes are great in northern climes, but not well suited for the
south, and definitely poorly suited for transporting.  The styrofoam is
great insulation against the cold, but ventillation is still insufficient
for the bees to thermoregulate when things get hot.  Ventillation screens
are in order in warm/hot conditions when transproting these styrofoam nuc
boxes.

The first design of the styrofoam boxes I bought had no ventillation holes
whatsoever.  They were very expensive and next to useless.  Bees could be
installed in the boxes, but once installed the nuc boxes could not be
transported.  The ventillation problem was obvious in the old design.
Subsequently the boxes were redesigned, with two ventillation holes drilled
(one in front, one in back).  The front of the boxes now have 2 holes, a
lower hole for the bees, and an upper hole for ventillation, plus a third
hole in the back.  Both ventillation holes are screened.  I figured the new
design would address the ventillation problems, but apparently not.  I had a
shipment of 50 nucs sent from South Carolina to upstate New York and
experienced similar results.  So far 8 of 30 were overheated, with dead
bees.  And the sad thing here is that it's the strongest nucs that overheat.
Jim wrote, "He was kind enough to put in some extra bees and an empty frame
to fill up the positions since the box was five frame and the nuc was four
frame."  Perhaps the extra bees and frame sealed the nuc's fate.  Fewer bees
and more room may have saved them.

Buyers and sellers should both be aware of the ventillation problems with
these styrofoam nuc boxes.

Aaron Morris - I think, therefore I bee!

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