I was going to make up some nucleus boxes this year. Quite a few people have been giving positive reports of the Paynes poly nuc boxes though, and the prices in their sale finally convinced me to buy some. They arrived this morning along with a few brood boxes and a large number of frames (also purchased in the sales) and I’ve had a chance to get a quick look at them.
Overall they look pretty good. Despite being polystyrene they feel solid, there’s a built-in feeder down one side and they come with a float for the feeder, a disc entrance cover, a clear acrylic crown cover and a snug-fitting lid. The base has a built-in mesh floor and the gap that allows the bees to reach the feeder has a slot to allow insertion of a piece of metal or plastic sheet to block access to the feeder. I assume that might be required to stop the bees building wild comb in the feeder if you have a higher volume top feeder in place. They also have lugs on the feet and roof that allow them to stack together nicely. All I need to do is paint them with some acrylic masonry paint, fix the entrance discs, put frames in and they’re ready for action.
 Nuc Box |
 Inside View |
 Entrance Disc |
 Cover (still with backing) |
 Feeder float |