Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => REQUEENING & RAISING NEW QUEENS => Topic started by: amymcg on May 02, 2020, 02:43:47 pm
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Hey all,
I?ve never done a split where I intended to raise a new queen before, so just looking for some reassurance.
We have a strong flow, there are drones, and I have a very strong hive that I installed from a package onto drawn comb over a month ago.
Today I split that hive, taking three frames of brood and larvae of various stages and two frames of honey/pollen combos. I put them in a 5 frame nuc.
From what I?m reading, I should check for queen cells on Tuesday of this coming week?
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Were you splitting to prevent swarming or just to make an extra hive? Tuesday seems a little soon to me, I usually wait about a week.
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Just to make another hive. Also the parent hive is pretty calm and I?d like to encourage those genetics.
I should also add that it?s swarm season here based on the local beek association posts on facebook
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Just to make another hive. Also the parent hive is pretty calm and I?d like to encourage those genetics.
I should also add that it?s swarm season here based on the local beek association posts on facebook
I ask because if you are trying to prevent swarming, you would want to move the mother queen. (Ask me how I found that out. :wink:) If you are just trying to get another hive though, it shouldn't matter.
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Yes! Luckily no signs of swarming. Plenty of frames of brood, no swarm cells, queen is laying a nice solid pattern.
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I have a very strong hive that I installed from a package onto drawn comb over a month ago.
In no way would I consider a package install a very strong hive after a couple months. I am not saying you can't take a split off from it and be successful. If you provided 3 day old larvae for the split there will be queen cells. No need to check. In about a month you will need to check for eggs. That is about all that is required.
What you could do in a week is add another frame of young larvae if you are not sure the larvae you provided was young enough to begin with. Doesn't matter where you put it. I would avoid the frame where you put the first young larvae because you might wreck a queen cell.
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Hi took a peek on Tuesday because I couldn?t help myself. There are queen cells!
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Hi took a peek on Tuesday because I couldn?t help myself. There are queen cells!
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Hooray! Now be sure to wait 3 weeks before checking again; 1 week for the cell to hatch, 1 week for the queen to mate, and 1 week for her to start laying.
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Definitely. I don?t plan to look again until June!
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I consider a hive strong enough to split when it has two ten frame deeps or four eight frame mediums full of bees and drawn comb that is full of honey, pollen, or brood. Any less is not really strong enough for the split to build up quickly...
Make sure when you do a split you don't let them run out of room. Even the queenless side will need room as all of the emerging bees will get recruited to forage and they will need room for the honey.
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UPDATE - they did it!(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200526/27b8c56293201f82c96a9c00e9fa62b1.jpg)
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Congratulations on your success.
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UPDATE - they did it!
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Yes! :grin:
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UPDATE - they did it!
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Wow laying in 24 days that is fabulous. Congratulations.
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Honestly I?m not sure she?s laying, but when I was inspecting the other hives, I noticed this nucs demeanor had changed and there was a lot of activity.
I pulled the second frame in and there she was. I took the photo and put Her back. I didn?t see any eggs on that frame. She should have mated last week. I?ll do a more thorough inspection next week and make sure she?s viable then.
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Amy,
MB is correct. Splitting a weak hive make two weak hives.
Feed your two hives and put them on drawn comb if you can.
It gets cold in your area in the winter.
I have learned from more experienced on this site that 1st year bees don't swarm. !st year nucs/packages need not be split.
Others on this site will preach non intervention, don't feed your bees, ignore them. Their bees are dead and they moved to Florida only to kill more bees.
Be prepared to combine you hives this fall. Pick the most successful queen and combine, good luck.
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Just to clarify, since some of you are making some assumptions about the split. The parent hive was installed On drawn comb. This was not a package installed on foundation. I never would have made a split in that situation. My desire to split has nothing to do with swarming, I simply want more hives.
I appreciate your Input.
I?m not concerned about the parent hive being week. They currently have 9 full frames of capped brood and are very strong.
I?m also not a new beekeeper. I have 16 years of experience keeping bees. I have just never done a walk away split before. My request for guidance was simply about the amount of time involved.
As long as this queen proves herself viable, they will be fine, but I plan on feeding this split until they can get established.
Thanks
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Their bees are dead and they moved to Florida only to kill more bees.
What do you work for Fox news or Trump?
My bees were sold and I suspect the hives are thriving. Every beekeeper kills bees. It is unavoidable.
Amy, interventions will set your hives back if not cause them to parish. That is excepted knowledge for most beekeepers. Clearly you are anxious because you jumped your own June date. I can only say if this continues you luck will change.
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Their bees are dead and they moved to Florida only to kill more bees.
Every beekeeper kills bees. It is unavoidable.
Preach. I have unfortunately killed a ton of bees. I have:
a. put packages or nucs on more resources than they could guard (or warm) only to find I'm actually raising hive beetles in a few weeks.
b. installed several frames of brood and probably 2-3lbs of bees into a copper topped hive owned by a friend. Closed them off for a few hours in summer and baked them. <sick>
c. not treated for mites and lost almost every colony the second year like clockwork
d., e., f...... this is a longer list than 3 items
For each of these things I learned and have tried to adopt different practices. I'm here for that reason, to learn and for community.
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Their bees are dead and they moved to Florida only to kill more bees.
Every beekeeper kills bees. It is unavoidable.
Preach. I have unfortunately killed a ton of bees. I have:
a. put packages or nucs on more resources than they could guard (or warm) only to find I'm actually raising hive beetles in a few weeks.
b. installed several frames of brood and probably 2-3lbs of bees into a copper topped hive owned by a friend. Closed them off for a few hours in summer and baked them. <sick>
c. not treated for mites and lost almost every colony the second year like clockwork
d., e., f...... this is a longer list than 3 items
For each of these things I learned and have tried to adopt different practices. I'm here for that reason, to learn and for community.
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. :cheesy:
We've all killed way more bees than we ever wanted to. ... but, we learn. :grin:
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UPDATE:
New queen is laying up a storm. Three frames of capped brood and two frames of larvae. Very happy with this success. Parent hive thriving with one full super and very busy in second.
Thanks for all the guidance.
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That is good news. Congratulations 🎈 and thanks for the update!