In a message dated 2/9/01 8:55:03 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< Can we split the hives just when the honey flow starts into two by =
 taking the queen of the hive with the open brood and young bees few =
 meters aside and leave the adult bees with the closed brood and one open =
 brood frame with the origional queenless hive to collect honey.>>

    It's nice to see you on the bee list, Wajih. You live in a beautiful
place. Our pastor went over to visit and brought back a lot of pictures. He
wanted to be baptized in the Jordan. He thought it was a big river, but when
he was there, it was a dry spell, and it was just a muddy trickle. He said he
was grateful that he was a Methodist and not a Baptist. Didn't need near as
much water....       :o)       I hope I can get to visit someday. Maybe I
could visit you?

    One thing I've always wondered about. Couldn't there be an earthquake
that would open up a crack from the Gulf and flood the valley?   Just
wondering....they've always said that some day California would crack loose
in a quake, and slide into the Pacific, too.

   There is an easy way to split hives. I take the original hive, place it
behind the original location, and turn it around. Most of the field bees will
drift back to the original site, but the younger bees will stay at the new
location. Then I set up a nuc at the old site, with new foundation (they'll
have plenty of nectar to draw wax, as they have kept the field force) and you
will put about three frames of mostly sealed brood in this, so they can make
wax and raise a queen. I also give them a frame of honey.

   I prefer the queen to stay with the old hive. They will lose their field
force, which is usually enough to prevent swarming. This hive should still
make some honey, if you start it early in the flow, or before the flow.

   The new hive should be given a queen, a queen cell, or make sure they have
eggs from which to develop one. It's not a real serious problem if you can't
find the queen, or don't have time to look. Simply make sure both hives have
eggs, or give them both a queen cell. If your flow is brief, and the rest of
the summer is pretty barren (it's like that here in South Carolina), you may
need to feed the nuc later, to get them through the heat of summer.


 <<Are we going to have more honey and additional hive or we are going to =
 loose both?! >>

   You will lose some honey, but by controlling the process, you won't lose
as much as you would have if they swarmed.  I think also, if you have some
pollen, you can lose less honey, if you do this ahead of the honeyflow, and
give them sugar syrup to get the splits going. I don't know about your season
or your pollen sources, so that is just a thought to consider.  I start
splitting as early as I dare.  I don't want a spring storm, and I have to
make sure there are plenty of drones for queen mating. When I see queen cells
in the hives, I know it's time.  This is sometimes as early as March 15. The
earliest splits will be the best ones for that season.

    Do you do crop pollination service, Wajih?  I would think you are in an
ideal place to do it.  You can get a free listing at the pollination page
below.


Dave Green
The Pollination Home Page:  http://pollinator.com