Well one made it

[Beeboy01]

Out of the two small nucs which I started last week one made it and is bringing in pollen. The other I believe I killed by using the wrong equipment or setting it up wrong. The dead nuc was in equipment that had the bottom attached and sealed to the box with a small entrance on one end. Not thinking I set that nuc up with the front just a little bit higher than the back and with all the rain we got over the last few days it looked like the bottom of the nuc flooded and SHB's moved in. The queen cells had hatched so I'm guessing the bees absconded.
       Hosed the box and frames off today and will knock the bottom off the box to keep it from happening again. Appears it's time to standardize all my nuc boxes instead of using random mis matched equipment. 

[Oldbeavo]

All our nucs have fixed bottoms but are vented, about 2" of mesh. I don't think the bottom was the issue, just the slope allowing to collect water.
In fact 2oo+ of our hives have fixed bottoms and seem to work OK.

[Beeboy01]

Knocking the bottom off the box will allow it to be added onto a nuc tower when expansion is needed. I prefer having separate components even with nucs and you're right tilting the box back and having it flood is what killed the nuc. It's a shame they were nice looking queen cells that came from a good hive. Oh well there is still enough time here in Florida to start another nuc. Lesson learned, bees took the loss.

[Bob Wilson]

Sorry for the loss, Beeson.
And in a thread from earlier in the month, a question was asked about what would we do differently if we started as a new beek again? One great response was... using only one size frame and box for everything from the very beginning. No more mismatched boxes or multiple frame sizes.
I can imagine the frustration.

[FatherMichael]

Sorry for the loss, Beeson.
And in a thread from earlier in the month, a question was asked about what would we do differently if we started as a new beek again? One great response was... using only one size frame and box for everything from the very beginning. No more mismatched boxes or multiple frame sizes.
I can imagine the frustration.

I've come to the same conclusion, except box size is less critical than interchangeable frames.

[Beeboy01]

What backfired on me was the fact that some of my nuc boxes were given me by a newbee who got out of bee keeping after only a year. The boxes were a mix of home made stuff which were all of different designs. The nuc box I lost the bees in was set up so the frames were sitting on the bottom with no bee space between the bottom bars and hive bottom. That along with the flooding was the problem. It wasn't a big loss, didn't have any plans for the nuc except maybe selling it for cheap if it prospered. I'm already maxed out for space in my little bee yard but still feel bad about loosing it.
   Think I have most of a sheet of plywood stashed in the shop which will go into making some standardized nuc boxes. Still in lock down with the pandemic so I have the time.