I live in southern Maine and usually split my hives in spring to increase
or prevent swarming and also others are split in the summer to winter over
nucs for replacement of winter losses.

I use 5 frame deep wooden boxes, wedge wooden frames with j hook wax
foundation. I like to wire my frames so new frames are put together in the
winter and wired, I insert wax closer to when I need them. When I pull
frames to make splits I put in foundation. This year I may try some
different types of frames to see how they work out. Though I like that I
can buy my woodenware close to home made in Maine from Maine wood, that
makes it harder to change.

As far as what I put in my nucs one thing is always a queen, time is to
short in the north I do not like starting from an egg. If I have a lot of
queen cells I use them and then combine them if no success but my
preference is a queen. I get queens for the first week of May from southern
breeders and then later in the season from the north. I can not raise as
many queens as I sell, I work at a beekeeping supply store we sell queens,
it would be great to raise them but there never seems to be enough time in
the day. I find raising queen interesting so I do raise a few for myself. I
also like queen cells on hand to put in any laying worker hives since I
find that a good cure, I help a lot of hobbyist and it is a good way for
them to recover a hive they never seem to know the hive is queenless until
it's to late.

My nucs go in the yard at the bee supply store since I am there often to
watch them and to feed. There are some hives there since I need to have
hives to show beginners, they come to buy woodenware with out ever seeing a
hive before, so I always put robbing screens on my nucs to prevent
problems. This year I plan to sell my spring splits, hope their ready in
June, the hives came through the winter in good shape and any increases I
want will be from my wintered over nucs. So the splits are going in
cardboard waxed nuc boxes I don't want to deal with deposits and returned
boxes.

All my hives are in deep boxes but here meduims are so popular with
hobbyist I am going to set some hives set up in mediums so I can have med.
nucs next year to sell. I have a bunch of med suppers all drawn out I plan
to use them as brood boxes, put packages in them this spring. I could sell
200 med nucs this spring if I had them, people are afraid of the weight of
the deep boxes. My other thought is to put some on now to get the queen up
there laying to get brood frames, I am open for suggestions.

Karen T-K

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