I have been told by one experienced beekeeper that packaged bees will do
better than hives started from nuclei.

Hi All,

Well, that depends on how you prepare the hive.  Are you using primarily all
foundation or drawn?  There are a lot of variables here but to really
simplify it.  The nuc will have a head start due to the fact that the queen
will be already laying some brood. You can speed up the package by hiving
them on drawn comb and feeding syrup and at the end of the season they will
have the same hive population as a nuc.  I've always managed to get a crop
of honey off a hive started as a nuc.  While I have also done the same with
a package, good seasonal conditions and my own intervention are needed but I
have not achieved the same weight of honey.  Remember everything depends on
length of season, honey flow, luck and skill :)  I'm in Ontario so my season
starts about April till September with spuratic flows and dearth's through
out.  Good luck.

Kent Stienburg