Splits march 2016
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Transcript of Splits march 2016
BushFarms.com/bees
Presentations on slideshare:
slideshare.net/rickbledsoe16
Reasons for doing a split
● prevent swarms● get more hives● requeen a hive● get more honey● raise queens
Timing for doing a split● As soon as mated queens are
available for purchase, or as soon as drones are flying.
Concepts of Splits
Both old & new hives need:● Queen or the resources to make one
● Honey and pollen
● Nurse bees to tend brood– Older bees drift back to the original site
● Frames in proper order: brood together, honey & pollen to outside
“You can try to raise more bees or more honey.”
● Using a laying queen will shorten the time they are queenless. – Rearing a queen will take an average
of 24 days. – Introducing a queen will take an
average of 4 days. – Difference of three weeks.
● Letting them rear their own queen is more likely to get local acclimatized genetics, and possibly some survivor genes.
A Few Basic Splits
● Even split● Walk away split● Typical split● Cut down split● Demaree
There are many more ways to split hives—these are just a few.
Even Split ● You take half of everything and
divide it evenly– Keep the brood nest intact
● Place both new hives facing each other
Even Split – Returning bees aren't sure which
hive to come back to.● In a week or so, swap places to
equalize the drift to the one with the queen.
Walk Away Split ● frame of eggs● two frames emerging brood● two frames of pollen and honey● put them in a 5 frame nuc● Shake in some extra nurse bees (make sure
you don't get the queen)● Put the cover on and walk away.● Come back in four weeks and see if the
queen is laying (beware of laying workers/poorly mated queen).
Typical Split
● Same as the walk away, but you introduce a queen.
● They will be three weeks ahead of a hive that is raising their own queen, so you will have to start them in a larger box than a nuc.
Simplified Walk Away Split ● Take the top box off of a two box hive (or the
middle box from a three-box hive) in early spring when there are bees and brood in both boxes.
● Set it on bottom board with cover.
Simplified Walk Away Split
● Check in four weeks for a growing number of bees in both hives.
● Combine if there is no queen.
Demaree
Demaree● Take the queen and half the brood
and put below a double screen● Make sure there are no queen cells in
part with queen
Demaree
● Come back in four weeks and look for a queen in both
● Remove the double screen and replace with a queen excluder
● Bees in top are isolated, think they have lost their queen so they make a new one
Demaree● If you want more hives, allow
queenless box to raise queen
● If you don't want more hives, remove queen cells every 7 days and combine the two hives after swarm season
* The Demaree method can be a little difficult to understand—study up before attempting.
Demaree
Cut down split ● Timing is critical. It should be done about two
weeks before the main honey flow.
Concepts of a cut down: ● Old hive's bees are free to forage
because they have no brood to tend.
● Crowds the bees up into the supers to maximize them drawing comb and foraging.
● Will produce more honey in old hive.
● The new hive won't swarm because the
foragers all returned to the old hive.
● The old hive won't swarm because it doesn't have a queen--it will take at least six weeks for them to raise a queen and get a decent brood nest going.
What do I gain?● You get a lot of honey production from
the old hive because they are not busy caring for brood.
● You get the old hive requeened.
● You get another hive.
● If you let the old hive requeen itself you get a break in the brood cycle which will break the Varroa brood cycle as well.
Simplified Cut Down Split
● Take all but the bottom brood box off and put them on a new stand.
● Add supers to the original hive.
● Add a super to the new hive.
● Come back in four weeks and look for a good number of bees in each. Combine any weak hives with another hive.
Review of Splits
Both resulting colonies need:
● Queen or the resources to make one
● Supply of honey and pollen
● Plenty of bees “You can raise more bees or more honey.”
Reasons for doing a split
● prevent swarms● get more hives● requeen● get more honey● raise queens
Presentations on slideshare:
slideshare.net/rickbledsoe16