Hi Dean-
I'm interested to hear that you have found that mini-nucs are not cost
effective for you in the long run. Why is that?
Where I live, queen breeders often use baby nucs in the early, cool spring to
produce queens for the peak market. They then gradually incorporate
five-frame nucs as hot weather approaches and market demand decreases.
Some breeders here compromise by using intermediate size nucs (duplex or
four-way, medium depth) during the entire breeding season. Is this what
works best for you?
Kevin Roberts
Hollister, California