In a message dated 6/29/99 7:01:50 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [log in to unmask]
writes:

> My question is, if I want to increase
>  my hives from 2 to 4 by spitting them can I do this in the fall or should
>  this only be done in the spring? Our wintering in upstate NY are brutal
>  frequently -30-40. Would they be strong enough to hold their own if I spit
>  them.

   No.  Sometimes we make fall splits in the south. But even here, it is a
gamble, done only if you are willing to take the risk.  Nucs can be wintered
here on a screen on top of a strong hive.  I also have placed two nuc boxes
adjacent (touching) and with entrances facing opposite. You find the cluster
always on the warm side of the nuc in cold weather. Small clusters cannot
hold heat as well as they should, and they easily get separated from their
food supply.  We only have an occasional couple of cold days.  In the north,
with continuous winter cold, you are taking on a challenge only a very
experienced beekeeper could handle, and they probably wouldn't.

>Also, should I purchase a queen? if not how do I go about using my own
>  stock?

    If you are willing to give up the rest of the honeyflow, there's still
plenty of time to make splits in the north. I'd probably buy queens, unless I
had a good line that I'd developed over several years.

[log in to unmask]     Dave Green  Hemingway, SC  USA
The Pollination Scene:  http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html
The Pollination Home Page:    http://www.pollinator.com

Jan's Sweetness and Light Shop    (Varietal Honeys and Beeswax Candles)
http://users.aol.com/SweetnessL/sweetlit.htm