Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: jsmob on February 10, 2010, 01:12:13 pm
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I live in the centrial valley of California. I would like to split my hive. Taken the Queen, and a couple of frames of brood making a Nuc, and leaving the old hive to raise a new Queen.
When would the timing be good for this here? Is April to early, or late? Should this be done in March? Of course I am trying to avoid swarming and get the best honey production.
Thak you for your help.
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Read Mr. Bush's website. One moment I will get you the link:
http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm (http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm)
Enjoy and happy split!
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http://www.bushfarms.com/beessplits.htm (http://www.bushfarms.com/beessplits.htm)
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Mike I think I read your entire site twice after I found it here; I think I even retained a few words of it.
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Newbee here, still reading the site after an hour, lots of good info about stuff I wondered about.
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I live in the centrial valley of California. I would like to split my hive. Taken the Queen, and a couple of frames of brood making a Nuc, and leaving the old hive to raise a new Queen.
When would the timing be good for this here? Is April to early, or late? Should this be done in March? Of course I am trying to avoid swarming and get the best honey production.
Thak you for your help.
When you begin to see drone cells being produced, you are close. You want drones to be flying so they can mate with your virgin queens but wait too long and the swarm cells they will make will hatch out on you and you may lose some to swarming. Its a timing thing most certainly.
Ask fellow beeks in your area when the repoductive swarming season starts up. You will usually make splits about a week-week and a half before that time weather permitting and use what's going on in your hives as a guage.
Don't forget to give your splits some honey frames as well as brood.
...JP
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Not going for a thread derail,,,
Mike, I built a few langstroth hives in preparation for spring and some bee packages.
The design I used was from a USDA plan that I modified a bit to fit the peirco frames I had.
The hive has a bottom entrance, but the plans had no landing board so I did not include one. I've been a bit worried about it after hearing other beeks talk, but I kept thinking about wild hives not having landing boards either.
So, if nothing else happens, the lack of a landing board is not going to kill my hive?
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Not going for a thread derail,,,
Mike, I built a few langstroth hives in preparation for spring and some bee packages.
The design I used was from a USDA plan that I modified a bit to fit the peirco frames I had.
The hive has a bottom entrance, but the plans had no landing board so I did not include one. I've been a bit worried about it after hearing other beeks talk, but I kept thinking about wild hives not having landing boards either.
So, if nothing else happens, the lack of a landing board is not going to kill my hive?
Many do not use landing boards but they do provide a little something extra when traffic is heavy. The bees do fine without them.
...JP
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>The design I used was from a USDA plan that I modified a bit to fit the peirco frames I had.
Peirco frames do not require modifying a standard Langstroth hive. What did you modify? Just so you know, Piercoo deeps are about 5.2mm...
>The hive has a bottom entrance, but the plans had no landing board so I did not include one. I've been a bit worried about it after hearing other beeks talk, but I kept thinking about wild hives not having landing boards either.
None of my hives have a landing board. I call them "Mouse Ramps"
>So, if nothing else happens, the lack of a landing board is not going to kill my hive?
It might even save it from mice...
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I've had hives with just circular holes for entrance which are no prob for the bees.
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I use the standard 45 slant hive stand on all of my hives, not because it's necessary but that's what you buy when you're starting out.
During the summer, I built a type of shim that's 3/8 thick and is shaped like a "U". I place it on top of the brood boxes and then stack the honey supers on top of it. The purpose is to provide a rear entrance for ventilation and so field bees can get to the supers without having to hike through the two brood deeps.
My point is I don't have any kind of ramp for this rear entrance and the returning bees use it more than the ramp entrance on the front of the hive.
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The design was too small lengthwise and height-wise to accept a pierco frame. I made it large enough to accept the frames on length and height. Either the frames not being standard size though they are claimed to be, or the design I used was for nonstandard frames. I don't claim enough knowledge to say which.
Either way, I think that it will work. I figure that if a hive can be comfortable in a hollow log, dryer, outer wall of a house, etc, a few minor design differences as far as length go will not be too detrimental.
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The inside measurement of a Langstroth hive the long ways should be 19 7/8" = 1 1/2" which is 18 3/8". The inside of the rabbet should be 3/4" more than that which is 19 1/8". The rabbet depth should be 5/8" (from top to bottom). The width should be 3/8".
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If the weather is agreeable then first to middle of march is good.
Depends on the hive and other hives in the area of course.
A good rule of thumb is to wait until you see a number of drones around.
You'll need a good strong at least single box hive to split of course.
Have you checked out the Sacramento Area Beekeepers Association?
It's a good place to meet up with other beekeepers in the area.