Nucs, or Nucleus Colonies, are small honey bee colonies created from larger colonies. The term refers both to the smaller size box and the colony of honeybees within it.The name is derived from the fact that a nuc hive is centered around a queen-the nucleus of the honey bee colony.ayout Edit. A nuc hive has all the features of a standard 10 frame Langstroth hive except with a reduced width. The link shows a United States Department of Agriculture USDA lay out for building a nuc.